FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

India

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Indian counterpart on strengthening safety measures for women and girls in India following the recent gang rape and death of a 23 year old student in New Delhi.

Hugo Swire: The UK Government regularly discusses human rights issues with the Indian Government, including the protection of women, both bilaterally and through the EU/India human rights dialogue. I welcome the fact that the Indian Government continues to take steps to promote the rights of women and urge them to continue their efforts in this regard.

Iraq

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the condition of residents of Camp Ashraf and Camp Liberty; and what representations he has made to the Iraqi Government on that matter.

Alistair Burt: The UN visit Camp Liberty, where the majority of former residents of Camp Ashraf now live, several times a week, and report that facilities at the camp meet international humanitarian standards. For example, residents have access to electricity 24 hours a day and over 200 litres of water per person per day. This compares well to the situation for many Iraqis. I raised the situation at Camp Ashraf and Camp Liberty with the Iraqi Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Human Rights in July 2012. We continue to monitor the situation at Camps Ashraf and Liberty through our embassy in Baghdad, and to raise issues with the UN and the Government of Iraq where appropriate.

Israel

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the government of Israel on its failure to adhere to the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We regularly raise the treatment of children in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) with the Israeli authorities. While we have not discussed the rights of children under the specific auspices of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, we have discussed in detail issues affecting children, including themes relating to the convention.
	As part of our ongoing dialogue with Israel on this issue, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office funded an independent report on Palestinian children in Israeli detention which was launched on 26 June. The report was written by a team of respected British lawyers, led by the right hon. Baroness Scotland of Asthal QC and Sir Stephen Sedley. We continue to press for implementation of the recommendations.

Jordan

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) financial and (b) other assistance his Department has given to Jordan to deal with refugees from Syria; when any such aid was given; and to what uses any aid has been put.

Alistair Burt: During her visit to Jordan on 26 January, the Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), announced £21 million for Syrian refugees, of which £10 million was specifically to assist the refugee response in Jordan.
	At the Kuwait conference on 30 January, the Secretary of State for International Development pledged a further £50 million in response to rapidly escalating humanitarian needs in Syria and the neighbouring countries. This means that in the past few days the UK has now more than doubled its funding for the humanitarian crisis, with a total of £139.5 million provided to date.
	In Jordan our aid is already providing food for 12,000 people each month, clean drinking water for 5,000 people and has enabled over 10,000 medical consultations.

Private Military and Security Companies

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many private military companies are based in the UK.

Mark Simmonds: There is no definitive official register of British companies offering private security services. The British Government maintains a regular dialogue with the British industry through the Security in Complex Environments Group and other appropriate forums.

Private Military and Security Companies

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the role of private military companies in helping British businesses establish themselves in hostile environments.

Mark Simmonds: Private security companies play a key role for commercial operators, including British businesses, by providing essential protective services in complex and hostile environments, enabling them to safely carry out important humanitarian and development work, as well as wider business and economic activity. This important role applies equally in support of the work of governments and non-governmental organisations. This is one of the reasons why the Government has been at the forefront of efforts to raise UK and global standards in the private security service industry as outlined in my statement of 17 December 2012, Official Report, columns 72-3WS.

Shaker Aamer

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure the release of Shaker Aamer.

Alistair Burt: Mr Aamer's case remains a high priority for the UK Government and we continue to make clear to the US that we want him released and returned to the UK as a matter of urgency. As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), stated to Parliament in October, he and the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), made representations to US Defense Secretary Panetta in June.
	Previous legislation passed by the US Congress, namely the 2011 National Defense Authorisation Act (NDAA), all but precluded transfers out of Guantanamo Bay. This legislation was renewed by the US Government for 2012, allowing for the US Secretary of Defense to exercise a waiver should stringent conditions be met. Despite the British Government's best endeavours Mr Aamer was not released in 2012.
	The NDAA has now been renewed for 2013. We continue to work with US counterparts to consider the implications of the NDAA 2013 for Mr Aamer's case. Ultimately, any decision regarding Mr Aamer's release remains in the hands of the United States Government.

Sudan

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what benchmarks he will use to assess whether progress has been made in meeting Government conditions necessary to cancel Sudan's debts;
	(2)  what process he will use to measure whether Sudan is making any progress towards meetings the conditions necessary before the Government cancels Sudan's debts.

Greg Clark: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Treasury.
	Sudan qualifies for debt relief under the internationally agreed heavily indebted poor country initiative (HIPC). Any future debt relief for Sudan will take place in the context of a wider reform programme that may be prepared by the IMF, and subject to decisions of the boards of the IMF, World Bank and Paris Club on which the UK Government are represented.
	More information on the HIPC initiative can be found at:
	http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/facts/hipc.htm

NORTHERN IRELAND

Conditions of Employment

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of staff in her Department currently work (a) part-time, (b) in a job-share and (c) in another flexible working arrangement.

Michael Penning: 17 members of staff (11%) work part-time in my Department. There are no staff in job-share or other flexible working arrangements.

Conditions of Employment

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people are employed on zero-hour contracts in her Department.

Michael Penning: No staff in my Department are employed on zero-hour contracts.

Legislation

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent consideration her Department has given to ending the practice of dual mandates at Stormont and Westminster.

Theresa Villiers: The Government is committed to bringing to an end the practice of elected representatives holding dual mandates in both the Northern Ireland Assembly and the House of Commons. A pledge to end dual mandates was made by the Conservative party at the 2010 general election and consideration of this issue was included in a recent consultation on measures to improve the operation of the Northern Ireland Assembly. I intend to outline the way forward in coming weeks.

Police Service of Northern Ireland

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on which occasions the Police Service of Northern Ireland has requested support from the Ministry of Defence in each year since 2010 by (a) type and (b) date of support.

Andrew Robathan: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.
	Under the long established arrangements for providing military support to the police in Northern Ireland, some forms of support, such as explosive ordinance disposal and enhanced search capabilities, are preauthorised in circumstances where life and property are at risk. As such they are not the subject of a formal request.
	The numbers of formal requests from the Police Service in Northern Ireland (PSNI) for support from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) under Military Aid to the Civil Power arrangements since 2010 are as follows:
	
		
			  Number of requests that the PSNI made to the MOD for support 
			 2010 24 
			 2011 22 
			 2012 25 
		
	
	I am withholding a breakdown of the type of support provided or the date the support was provided to the PSNI as the disclosure of this information would prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of our armed forces.

WALES

Conditions of Employment

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of staff in his Department work (a) part-time, (b) in a job-share or (c) in another flexible working arrangement.

Stephen Crabb: As at 31 January 2013, there were 48 staff in post; (a) two work part-time, (b) none job-share, and (c) six have access to another flexible working arrangement.

Conditions of Employment

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people are employed on zero-hour contracts in his Department.

Stephen Crabb: None.

Travel and Subsistence Payments

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many senior officials in his Department (a) have and (b) have had during 2012-13 terms of employment that specify that their main place of employment is their home address and that they are entitled to claim travel and subsistence expenses for visiting departmental offices.

Stephen Crabb: None.

Travel and Subsistence Payments

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 
	(1)  how many senior officials in his Department's arm's-length bodies (a) have and (b) have had during 2012-13 terms of employment that specify that their main place of employment is their home address and that they are entitled to claim travel and subsistence expenses for visiting the offices of the arm's-length body;
	(2)  how many chairs in his Department's arm's-length bodies are paid on the basis that they are exempt from personally meeting any tax liability in respect of travel and subsistence payments for attending meetings at the offices of the arm's-length body;
	(3)  how many senior officials of his Department's arm's-length bodies are paid on the basis that they are exempt from personally meeting any tax liability in respect of travel and subsistence payments for attending meetings at the offices of the arm's-length body.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office does not have any arm’s length bodies.

SCOTLAND

Broadband

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of Fife is covered by superfast broadband.

David Mundell: Ofcom's 2012 Communications Infrastructure Report estimated that superfast broadband availability in Fife was 49.9% compared with 45% for Scotland as a whole.
	The UK Government has allocated a £100 million investment for rural broadband projects in Scotland. It is the responsibility of the Scottish Government to deliver on this.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Ash Dieback Disease

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the outcome has been of the work of the task force set-up to deal with tree disease and Chalara fraxinea; and what action has been taken by the task force to date.

David Heath: The taskforce published its interim report on 30 November 2012. The report contained the following key recommendations for DEFRA:
	Develop a prioritised UK Risk Register for tree health and plant biosecurity.
	Strengthen biosecurity to reduce risks at the border and within the UK.
	Appoint a Chief Plant Health Officer to own the UK Risk Register and provide strategic and tactical leadership for managing those risks.
	Review, simplify and strengthen governance and legislation.
	Maximise the use of epidemiological intelligence from EU/other regions and work to improve the EU regulations concerned with tree and plant biosecurity.
	Develop and implement procedures for preparedness and contingency planning to predict, monitor and control the spread of disease.
	Develop a modern, user-friendly, expert system to provide quick and intelligent access to data about tree health and plant biosecurity.
	Identify and address key skills shortages.
	The taskforce continues to work with a broad range of stakeholders and Government officials and will develop this advice further to:
	review the national and international risks and the evidential basis for the effectiveness of response options;
	provide an independent perspective on costs and benefits to inform setting priorities and resource allocation;
	review best international practice in tree health and plant biosecurity management; and
	produce a strategic evidence assessment and make recommendations for next steps including resolving crucial knowledge gaps.
	A final report on the task force's strategic view of the evidence will be produced in spring this year.

Ash Dieback Disease

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the Scottish Government on Chalara fraxinea.

David Heath: Scottish Government officials participated in the Chalara Policy Group meeting on 31 January 2013. They also participate on a weekly basis in the Chalara Outbreak Management Team.

Biomass

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2013, Official Report, column 323W, on biomass, if he will undertake an assessment of the potential social effects of the 11.36 kilotonnes of fine particles that he estimates will be emitted in 2020.

Richard Benyon: holding answer 31 January 2013
	We have not, as yet, carried out a full analysis of the potential social effects of fine particle emissions estimated to arise from the combustion of biomass in 2020.
	However, the health impacts in 2020 of the associated fine particle emissions (PM2.5) has been estimated in monetary terms at £215 million in 2010 prices, using our published air quality damage costs. This is a small fraction (1.4%) of the total health impact estimated from the exposure of the UK population to fine particles in 2008, the most recent year for which an estimate of the total impact of fine particulate pollution is available. This assessment does not take into consideration the monetisation of the benefits of reduced greenhouse gas emissions arising from this use of renewable fuels.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what financial support his Department has provided for research and development of vaccines against tuberculosis in (a) badgers and (b) cattle in each of the last five financial years;
	(2)  what financial support his Department plans to provide towards research and development of vaccines against tuberculosis in (a) badgers and (b) cattle in each of the next four financial years.

David Heath: The spend and anticipated minimum spend (based on research commissioned to date) on the development of badger and cattle TB vaccines over the last five financial years and next four financial years is shown in the following table. The anticipated minimum spend for the next four financial years is based on spend committed to date and we may commission more.
	
		
			  £ 
			 Badgers  
			 2007-08 2,497,489 
			 2008-09 2,183,511 
			 2009-10 3,232,970 
			 2010-11 2,788,005 
			 2011-12 2,250,000 
			 2012-13 2,173,249 
			 2013-14 2,030,269 
			 2014-15 1,611,936 
			 2015-16 312,482 
			   
			 Cattle  
			 2007-08 3,703,020 
			 2008-09 3,196,506 
			 2009-10 3,698,427 
			 2010-11 2,683,843 
			 2011-12 2,210,441 
		
	
	
		
			 2012-13 2,709,163 
			 2013-14 2,658,730 
			 2014-15 2,041,534 
			 2015-16 1,989,993

Livestock: Exports

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure the enforcement of existing regulations on the exportation of livestock.

David Heath: The Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) is responsible for implementation of the EU rules on the protection of animals during transport (Council Regulation (EC) 1/2005). It carries out non-discriminatory inspections of animals, means of transport and accompanying documentation, as required by this legislation.

Livestock: Transport

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2013, Official Report, column 303W, on livestock: transport, for what reasons action was taken; and what actions were taken in each of the cases where regulatory action was taken against transporters based in the UK since 2010.

David Heath: Since 2010, regulatory action involving a suspension of an authorisation has been taken on four occasions on transporters issued with an authorisation by AHVLA.
	In 2010 such action was taken on two occasions for the following reasons with the following action:
	(1) The transporter had multiple breaches of their transporter authorisation resulting in their authorisation being revoked;
	(2) The transporter was convicted of offences related to animal welfare and was prohibited from having custody of any kind of animal for life resulting in their authorisation being revoked.
	In 2011 regulatory action was taken on one occasion. A transporter had multiple non-compliances of the Welfare of Animals (Transport) (England) Order 2006 resulting in its authorisation being suspended temporarily.
	In 2012 action was taken on one occasion. A transporter was convicted of offences contrary to the Animal Welfare Act 2006 resulting in its transporter authorisation being suspended for the duration of its validity.

Livestock: Transport

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to his contribution of 13 December 2012, Official Report, column 529, on live animal exports, whether his zero tolerance policy on live animals transport will result in any infringement which includes the serving of statutory notices on live animal transporters and in the use of EU Regulation 1/2005 Article 1.3.

David Heath: The Animal Health Veterinary Laboratories Agency will continue to take proportionate regulatory action against any infringements of the welfare in transport legislation, which will include the serving of statutory notices where appropriate. The Government has no plans to introduce any stricter national measures, as permitted under Article 1.3 of Council Regulation (EC) 1/2005.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Biofuels

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent representations he has received on the sustainability of bioliquid fuels.

Gregory Barker: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), has had no meetings in the last three months on the sustainability of bioliquids. DECC has received regular correspondence on bioliquids sustainability over the last three months, including one petition.

Energy

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the proportion of renewable and non-renewable energy sources in the UK's energy mix in 2030.

John Hayes: The Carbon Plan (December 2011) sets out four plausible pathways which are consistent with its target to cut green house gas emissions by 80% by 2050. This is the Government's latest assessment of feasible long term scenarios for meeting emissions reductions targets, taking account of the potential direction of future policy interventions, beyond those that are currently firm and funded.
	Under these four scenarios, 2030 renewables are estimated to account for 25-28% of primary energy, supply (before conversion and distribution losses and own use). The renewables accounted for here include solar, wind, tidal, wave, geothermal, hydro, biomatter (including waste, agriculture and imports) and environmental heat. The figures were estimated using the Department's 2050 Calculator model (version 3.4.6):
	https://www.gov.uk/2050-pathways-analysis
	The plausible pathways are sensitive to a number of input assumptions. The development of the 2050 Calculator's methodology was open to the public, and scrutinised by experts across the energy field. However, given the long timeframe involved, there are still considerable uncertainties around the assumptions that feed into these estimates.
	It should be noted that these estimates are not consistent with definitions used in estimating the proportion of renewable energy in line with Directive 2009/28/EC, which sets out the methodology against which the target to deliver 15% of the UK's energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020 will be assessed:
	http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri =Oj:L:2009:140:0016:0062:en:PDF

Energy: Expenditure

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much (a) research and development funding, (b) capital grants and (c) other state support for nuclear fusion and solar PV energy technologies, excluding the Non-Fossil Fuel Obligation and the Renewables Obligation, was made available in each year since 2005, broken down by (i) technology, (ii) Government Department and (iii) each support scheme.

John Hayes: A full breakdown of state support for nuclear fusion and PV technologies is not readily available/held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) sponsors the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) which is responsible for funding the UK's research and development in fusion and solar PV technologies. In addition, Government ran a Major PV Development Programme providing grants to support solar PV installations which ended in 2006-07.
	
		
			 Figures on specific programme spend on fusion and solar PV 2005-06 to 2011-12 
			  EPSRC Research Councils DTI (BIS/DECC) 
			 Funding level Nuclear Fusion (£ million) Solar PV (£ million) Major PV programme 
			 2005-06 20.6 2.5 6.9 
			 2006-07 26.2 2.3 2.4 
			 2007-08 26.9 6.5 — 
			 2008-09 37.2 8.6 — 
			 2009-10 18.9 12.8 — 
			 2010-11 34.2 10.3 — 
			 2011-12 31.9 8.8 — 
			 Total 195.9 51.8 9.3 
		
	
	Government has funded a number of non-technology specific programmes to develop fusion and solar PV technologies—these have included:
	Nuclear Fusion
	The European programme EURATOM which funds fusion research in the UK through the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. The UK contributes indirectly to the EURATOM fusion research programme through its payments to the EU budget.
	Solar PV
	£155 million in feed-in-tariff incentives were allocated in 2010-11 and 2011-12 of which over 90% related to Solar PV technologies.
	Government's former Low Carbon Buildings Programme (2006 to 2011) provided grants worth £105.9 million to support the deployment of micro generation technologies. Of this total, £45 million was spent on solar PV technologies.
	Technology Strategy Board's Smart programme, formerly managed by the Regional Development Agencies as grant for research and development, has funded a broad range of technology projects.
	Venture capital programmes such as the BIS UK Innovation Investment Fund have made funding available for a broad range of innovative low carbon companies.

Energy: Meters

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what support his Department provides to microbusinesses and small and medium-sized enterprises that wish to install smart meters.

John Hayes: The Government is requiring energy suppliers to arrange for micro-businesses and other smaller non-domestic sites to have smart or advanced metering by December 2019. In addition, the Government is placing requirements on energy suppliers to engage with micro-businesses with a view to maximising take-up of smart metering and the realisation of benefits. It is also setting rules designed to ensure a good standard of service during the installation process. This month, the Government intends to publish information to help business customers and their representatives understand what to expect from the smart meter roll-out, and how it can help them.

Fracking

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what consideration his Department has given to (a) the decommissioning of fracking sites and (b) the legal obligations on companies who carry out fracking to repair any environmental damage caused a result of fracking.

John Hayes: Arrangements and financing for decommissioning of operational sites is the responsibility of the industry. Planning guidance advises planning authorities to place appropriate conditions on any planning permission for oil and gas operations, both to ensure clearance of equipment and for proper restoration of the site once operations have ceased.
	Specific requirements to ensure proper decommissioning of wells are enforced by the HSE and DECC. In addition, DECC is giving consideration to appropriate subsequent monitoring of decommissioned wells which should be agreed and put in place to ensure effective monitoring and management of decommissioned wells.
	We expect all shale gas sites will require environmental permits covering a range of environmental risks, including radioactive and mining wastes and groundwater (if there is a groundwater risk). Operators will need to consider decommissioning as part of the standard conditions placed on them as part of their environmental permits. Permit surrender is not possible until sites have been returned to satisfactory conditions.

Natural Gas: Reserves

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the long-term future of the UK's shale gas reserves.

John Hayes: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 16 January 2013, Official Report, column 768W, to the hon. Member for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr (Jonathan Edwards).

Natural Gas: Storage

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with the (a) Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and (b) Health and Safety Executive on Stublach underground gas storage facility.

John Hayes: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), has had no discussions with either the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), or the Health and Safety Executive about the proposed Stublach underground gas storage facility.

Nuclear Power Stations

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2012, Official Report, column 134W, on infrastructure, when he will bring forward proposals for a community benefit package for sites that host nuclear power stations.

John Hayes: The Government is currently considering the proposals for a community benefits package for sites that host new nuclear power stations. Details of the package will be issued shortly.

Radioactive Waste

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the cost of establishing a geological disposal facility for highly radioactive nuclear waste; who he intends will pay any such costs; and whether he intends that operators of nuclear power stations will meet the full cost of such a facility.

John Hayes: The latest estimate of costs of a geological disposal facility (GDF) published in the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's Annual Report and Accounts dated 2011-12 is £3.84 billion (discounted) which is the equivalent to £12 billion (undiscounted) of costs over the lifetime of the facility. Such costs will be met by the Government to discharge its existing liabilities relating to nuclear waste. This estimate does not include the costs of the disposal of any wastes that might be produced by new nuclear power stations. The Government's policy is that operators of new nuclear power stations should meet their full share of the costs of managing and disposing of the waste they will produce. The price that operators will be charged for the disposal of their waste will include a proportionate contribution to the fixed costs of constructing a GDF.

Renewables Obligation

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what criteria are used in determining subsidies for renewable energy in the renewables obligation certificate banding review.

John Hayes: Before making any changes to the levels of support available under the renewables obligation, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), is legally required to have regard to a number of statutory factors. These are set out in primary legislation—section 32D(4) of the Electricity Act 1989 (as amended by the Energy Act 2008)—and are outlined as follows:
	(a) the costs (including capital costs) associated with generating electricity from each of the renewable sources or with transmitting or distributing electricity so generated (and including costs associated with the production or supply of heat: section 32D(5));
	(b) the income of operators of generating stations in respect of electricity generated from each of those sources or associated with the generation of such electricity (including that connected with the acquisition of the renewable source, the supply of heat and the disposal of any generation by-product: section 32D(6));
	(c) the effect of paragraph 19 of schedule 6 to the Finance Act 2000 (supplies of electricity from renewable sources exempted from climate change levy) in relation to electricity generated from each of those sources;
	(d) the desirability of securing the long term growth, and economic viability, of the industries associated with the generation of electricity from renewable sources;
	(e) the likely effect of the proposed banding provision on the number of renewables obligation certificates issued by the authority, and the impact this will have on the market for such certificates and on consumers;
	(f) the potential contribution of electricity generated from each renewable source to the attainment of any target which relates to the generation of electricity or the production of energy and is imposed by, or results from or arises out of, a community obligation.
	The renewables obligation banding review consultation document, published in October 2011, describes the methodology used to review the support levels and sets out how all of the factors listed above were considered for each technology. A copy of the consultation document is available at
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/66175/Renewables_Obligation_ consultation.pdf

Travel and Subsistence Payments

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many senior officials in his Department (a) have and (b) have had during 2012-13 terms of employment that specify that their main place of employment is their home address and that they are entitled to claim travel and subsistence expenses for visiting departmental offices.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) does not have any senior officials who (a) have and (b) have had during 2012-13, terms of employment that specify that their main place of employment is their home address and that they were entitled to claim travel and subsistence expenses for visiting departmental offices.
	DECC defines senior officials as members of senior civil service and 2012-13 as the period 1 April 2012-31 March 2013.

Travel and Subsistence Payments

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many senior officials in his Department's arm's-length bodies (a) have and (b) have had during 2012-13 terms of employment that specify that their main place of employment is their home address and that they are entitled to claim travel and subsistence expenses for visiting the offices of the arm's-length body.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has four arm's length bodies for which it is responsible and defines senior officials as members of the senior civil service or equivalent grades.
	The Coal Authority, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Committee on Climate Change do not have any senior officials who (a) have and (b) have had during 2012-13 terms of employment that specify that their main place of employment is their home address and that they were entitled to claim travel and subsistence expenses for visiting departmental offices.
	The Civil Nuclear Police Authority Terms and Conditions do not recognise a specific place of employment.

Travel and Subsistence Payments

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many chairs in his Department's arm's-length bodies are paid on the basis that they are exempt from personally meeting any tax liability in respect of travel and subsistence payments for attending meetings at the offices of the arm's-length body.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has four arm’s length bodies for which it is responsible.
	The Civil Nuclear Police Authority and Nuclear Decommissioning Authority have no chairs that are exempt from personally meeting any tax liability in respect of travel and subsistence payments for attending meetings at their offices.
	There are two chairs in the Committee on Climate Change and one in the Coal Authority that are exempt from personally meeting any tax liability in respect of travel and subsistence payments for attending meetings at their offices under the terms of the Authorities PAYE Settlement Agreement (PSA) covering Tax and National Insurance liability as agreed with HMRC.

Travel and Subsistence Payments

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many senior officials of his Department's arm's-length bodies are paid on the basis that they are exempt from personally meeting any tax liability in respect of travel and subsistence payments for attending meetings at the offices of the arm's-length body.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has four arm's length bodies for which it is responsible and defines senior officials as members of the senior civil service or equivalent grades.
	The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Committee on Climate Change and Civil Nuclear Police Authority do not have any senior officials that are paid on the basis that they are exempt from personally meeting any tax liability in respect of travel and subsistence payments for attending meetings at the offices.
	The Coal Authority have four senior officials that are paid on the basis that they are exempt from personally meeting any tax liability in respect of travel and subsistence payments for attending meetings at the offices under the Authorities PAYE Settlement Agreement (PSA) for Tax and National Insurance liability as agreed with HMRC.

Wind Power: Republic of Ireland

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions the Secretary of State has had with (a) his Irish counterpart and (b) interested parties in the UK on the use of wind farms in the Republic of Ireland to generate energy for the UK and on the potential effect of such use on the UK energy budget.

John Hayes: Ministers have had a number of discussions with Irish counterparts on a range of energy issues, including the potential for trading renewable electricity. The most recent of these was during the signing of a memorandum of understanding on 24 January of this year. Further details on that event are available from the gov.uk website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/news/energy-trading-creates-opportunities-for-ireland-uk-davey-rabbitte
	I can confirm that I also meet regularly with UK-based stakeholders to discuss this and other issues.

TREASURY

Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the volume sold in both retail outlets and informally of (a) counterfeit alcohol, (b) alcoholic drinks on which duty has been evaded and (c) alcoholic drinks imported free of duty in each year since 2001; and what the cost to the Exchequer was of (i) duty and (ii) VAT lost on such alcohol in each year.

Sajid Javid: HMRC estimates the losses from all forms of spirits and beer duty evasion and fraud. These estimates were published in “Measuring Tax Gaps-2012” in October 2012.
	Estimates for wine and cider are not available.
	The tax gaps for alcohol are published as a total and further breakdowns are not available. Furthermore the current calculation for the beer tax gap only dates back to 2007-08. The volume, revenue lost for both spirits and beers is presented as follows:
	
		
			  Beer Spirits 
			  VAT (£ million) Duty (£ million) Volume (million litres) VAT (£ million) Duty (£ million) Volume (million litres) 
			 2000-01 — — — 187 365 50 
			 2001-02 — — — 179 348 50 
			 2002-03 — — — 139 270 40 
			 2003-04 — — — 157 311 40 
			 2004-05 — — — 38 78 10 
			 2005-06 — — — 72 146 20 
			 2006-07 — — — 106 215 30 
			 2007-08 139 346 550 103 211 30 
			 2008-09 127 347 500 23 53 10 
			 2009-10 123 371 500 40 101 10 
			 2010-11 150 408 500 75 154 20 
		
	
	HM Revenue and Customs introduced a renewed strategy to tackle alcohol fraud in 2010-11, increasing the impact of its enforcement by over 50% on the previous year and delivering over £430 million worth of revenue benefits. The Government announced additional funding for HM Revenue and Customs to tackle fraud through SR10, and launched a formal consultation on further legislative measures at Budget 12. The findings of that consultation are expected in the coming months.

Financial Services

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to address the high rate of compensation claims for mis-sold payment protection insurance that are rejected by banks but subsequently upheld by the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Sajid Javid: This is a matter for the Financial Services Authority (FSA). This question has been passed on to the FSA. The FSA will reply to the hon. Member directly by letter. A copy of the response will be placed in the Library of the House.

Food Banks

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what plans he has for allowing gifts of food to food banks to be gift aided;
	(2)  what financial incentives he plans to introduce for businesses to donate food, toiletries and other materials to food banks.

Sajid Javid: Gift Aid is a tax relief and applies only to gifts of money. If Gift Aid were to apply to gifts of goods then donors and charities would need to keep evidence of every donation including a description and the value of the goods. This would be administratively burdensome for everyone. There would also be a significant extra cost to the Exchequer.
	While all taxes and tax reliefs remain under review, the Government has no plans at this time to allow gifts of food to food banks to be made under the Gift Aid scheme.
	Businesses that donate trading stock to charities are already eligible to tax relief on the cost of the stock. Similarly, businesses that donate plant and machinery to charities are eligible to tax relief.
	There are no plans to introduce new financial incentives for businesses to donate food, toiletries and other materials to food banks.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

William Cash: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he expects the private sector to contribute towards (a) High Speed 2 and (b) Phase 2 of the High Speed 2 Birmingham to Manchester route.

Danny Alexander: UK Infrastructure is attractive to potential investors, and therefore it is to be expected that the Government will consider opportunities for third party funding and financing. The Government has made clear that it will explore the scope for third party funding and financing in relation to High Speed 2, but it is not currently at a stage in the process where it is possible to take forward detailed discussions with potential investors.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jamie Reed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department has taken to quantify the economic benefit to West Cumbria of High Speed 2.

Danny Alexander: The Government's analysis of the economic case for High Speed 2 is being led by the Department for Transport.
	The most recent assessment of the economic case for High Speed 2 can be found in the ‘Updated Economic Case for HS2’, published on the HS2 Ltd website in August 2012:
	http://www.hs2.org.uk/sites/default/files/inserts/Updated% 20economic%20case%20for%20HS2.pdf

Income Tax

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate how many people who paid the 10p rate of tax in the financial year 2007-08 were in receipt of (a) child tax credit, (b) working tax credit and (c) both child and working tax credits and were worse off as a result of the abolition of the 10p tax rate.

Sajid Javid: This information is available only at disproportionate cost.
	The 2012 autumn statement builds on the Government's commitment to ensure that it pays to work; to support pensioners and those most in need; and to deliver a progressive tax and welfare system that is affordable, fair and encourages growth. The Government is providing support for those on low and middle incomes by increasing the personal allowance by a further £235 in April 2013, meaning 2.2 million people will have been taken out of tax by the Government's increases in the personal allowance.

Individual Savings Accounts

Annette Brooke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether he plans to make changes to the structures of ISAs to allow savers to put their whole allowance into a cash ISA;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the current structure of ISA allowances and whether this allowance can be split between a cash ISA and a stocks and shares ISA.

Sajid Javid: The current limit for individual savings accounts (ISAs) is £11,280, half of which can be invested in cash. Different ISA subscription limits have applied for cash and stocks and shares investments since ISAs were introduced, and this reflects decisions made by the previous Government about the design and structure of the account. The Government keeps all aspects of tax policy, including ISAs, under review.

Minimum Wage

Chris Bryant: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints for non-compliance by employers to pay the national minimum wage were made in (a) 2012, (b) 2011, (c) 2010 and (d) 2009.

David Gauke: The number of complaints about non-payment of minimum wage for the period requested is in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Number of complaints received 
			 2009-10 2,850 
			 2010-11 1,981 
			 2011-12 1,653 
			 2012-13 (to end December) 1,259

National Insurance Contributions

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many taxpayers in (a) Wales, (b) Scotland, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) each region of England made upper earnings limit employee national insurance contributions in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  if he will estimate the annual receipts to accrue to the Exchequer from the establishment of a flat rate of 12% for calculating employee national insurance contributions on wages above the lower earnings limit.

David Gauke: Estimates of the annual receipts accruing from simple changes to national insurance rates and limits can be approximated from Table 1.6 “Direct effects of illustrative tax changes”, available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/expenditures/table1-6.pdf
	However, accurate costings of changes of this scale require detailed analysis of complex behavioural effects. These estimates are not available.
	The illustrative changes referenced in Table 1.6 are consistent with 3.75 million UK individuals with annual earnings above the (annualised) upper earnings limit in 2013-14. Regional breakdowns consistent with table 1.6 are not available.

Pay

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many officials in his Department and its agencies have been paid in excess of £100,000 per annum in each of the last three years.

Sajid Javid: The number of officials in HM Treasury and its agencies paid in excess of £100,000 per annum in each of the last three years is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 End financial year Number paid over £100,000 
			 2009-10 39 
			 2010-11 62 
			 2011-12 60 
		
	
	Figures include core HM Treasury, Debt Management Office, Asset Protection Agency, and Infrastructure UK. Numbers increased in 2010 following the transfer of Partnerships UK staff into the newly formed Infrastructure UK team.
	Information on HM Treasury salaries is also published in the HM Treasury organogram which can be found at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/about_hmtgroup_organogram.htm

Payments Council

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether he plans to make changes to the governance of the Payments Council; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many responses his Department received to the consultation on Setting the Strategy for UK Payments.

Sajid Javid: HM Treasury received 52 replies to its consultation on Setting the Strategy for UK payments.
	On 4 February 2013 the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the Government will bring forward detailed proposals to introduce a new regulatory regime for payment systems. It will make sure payment systems serve the needs of consumers, not the needs of the established banks; and it will ensure that new players in the market can access these systems in a fair and transparent way.
	HM Treasury will publish a consultation in the spring on the way forward.

Personal Income: Birmingham

Jack Dromey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of single-earner families in (a) Birmingham, Erdington constituency and (b) Birmingham will suffer a reduction in income as a result of measures in the autumn statement 2012; and what the average loss in income will be in each case.

Sajid Javid: The model which HM Treasury uses to assess the impact of policy decisions relies on survey data which does not contain sufficient information to provide a breakdown of impacts by town or parliamentary constituency. Therefore, this question cannot be answered with the information currently available.

Revenue and Customs

Nick Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what proportion of staff in HM Revenue and Customs' large business service are over the age of 55;
	(2)  what proportion of HM Revenue and Customs staff are aged (a) 16 to 25, (b) 26 to 35, (c) 36 to 45, (d) 46 to 55 and (e) over 56 years old.

David Gauke: In the Large Business Service area 26.72% of employees are over the age of 55. The Large Business Service is responsible for over 790 of the largest businesses that pay a significant proportion of the total business taxes and duties that HMRC collects.
	The grouped proportions for HMRC staff as a whole are as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			 (a) 16-25 4.66 
			 (b) 26-35 16.52 
			 (c) 36-45 23.63 
			 (d) 46-55 36.97 
			 (e) 56 and over 18.22 
		
	
	It has come to my attention that the figure for HMRC staff as a whole over the age of 55 provided in my answer to my hon. Friend on 29 January 2012, Official Report, column 736W, was incorrect. The correct figure is that supplied above.

Training

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many away days his Department has held since 2010; and what the cost was of each such event.

Sajid Javid: The Department does not hold a central record of individual away days and the information could not be provided within the disproportionate costs threshold.
	The total departmental spend on away days between April 2010 and December 2012 was £47,070.
	The breakdown of costs of away days since 1 April 2008 is:
	
		
			 Financial year Total spend (£) 
			 2008-09 387,753 
			 2009-10 185,179 
			 2010-11 20,345 
			 2011-12 18,304 
			 2012-13 (April to December) 8,422

Travel and Subsistence Payments

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many senior officials in his Department (a) have and (b) have had during 2012-13 terms of employment that specify that their main place of employment is their home address and that they are entitled to claim travel and subsistence expenses for visiting departmental offices;
	(2)  how many senior officials in his Department's arm's-length bodies (a) have and (b) have had during 2012-13 terms of employment that specify that their main place of employment is their home address and that they are entitled to claim travel and subsistence expenses for visiting the offices of the arm's-length body;
	(3)  how many chairs in his Department's arm's-length bodies are paid on the basis that they are exempt from personally meeting any tax liability in respect of travel and subsistence payments for attending meetings at the offices of the arm's-length body;
	(4)  how many senior officials of his Department's arm's-length bodies are paid on the basis that they are exempt from personally meeting any tax liability in respect of travel and subsistence payments for attending meetings at the offices of the arm's-length body.

Sajid Javid: There are no senior officials at HM Treasury or its arm's length bodies including agencies and non-departmental public bodies who have or have had during 2012-13, terms of employment that specified their home address as their main place of employment and who are also entitled to claim travel and subsistence expenses for visiting departmental offices. In addition no one is paid on the basis that they are exempt from personally meeting any tax liability in respect of travel and subsistence payments for attending meetings at the offices of the arm's length body. If any employee receives a payment to cover expenses which are taxable, this would always be paid through payroll with the employee paying the appropriate rate of tax on the payment.

Working Tax Credit: Reserve Forces

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many members of the reserve forces in (a) the UK and (b) Scotland are claimants of working tax credits.

Sajid Javid: This information is not available.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking with her European counterparts to encourage asylum seekers to claim asylum in the first EU member state they arrive in.

Mark Harper: The Government has opted in to the amended Dublin Regulation which was given political agreement by the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 6 to 7 December 2012. The Government believes that it is in the UK's interests to continue our participation in the Dublin System which encourages asylum seekers to claim asylum in the first safe country and ensures that we can tackle ‘asylum shopping’ across the EU. Since 2004 the Dublin system has enabled the UK to remove over 10,000 asylum applicants.
	It is also firmly in the UK's interests that other EU member states have well functioning border and asylum systems. We believe that this is best achieved through practical assistance to help member states build capacity; improve the quality of their asylum systems and by sharing best practice. The Government supports the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) which is leading this work, focusing in particular on assistance to Greece and the development of an 'early warning' system to prevent future migration crises.

Asylum: Sexuality

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum cases were granted on the grounds of persecution because of sexuality in each month from July 2010 until December 2012.

Mark Harper: holding answer 25 January 2013
	The UK Border Agency publishes immigration statistics annually and quarterly.
	These are available from the Home Office Research and Statistics website. They can be found here:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-tabs-q3-2012
	Published statistics are not disaggregated according to the basis of the asylum claim. Consequently the requested information is not available through published statistics. The reasons for asylum being granted cannot be determined without undertaking a manual search of records. Nor is it possible to identify all cases in which asylum was granted on the basis of sexual orientation without manually checking records. In both cases to do so would incur disproportionate costs.

Coral: Smuggling

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions coral has been confiscated at the UK border following attempts to bring it into the country illegally in the last 10 years.

Mark Harper: The following table sets out the number of times coral has been confiscated at the UK Border since 2006.
	
		
			 Financial year Number of seizures 
			 April 2006 to March 2007 25 
			 April 2007 to March 2008 24 
			 April 2008 to March 2009 21 
			 April 2009 to March 2010 26 
			 April 2010 to March 2011 18 
			 April 2011 to March 2012 16 
			 April 2012 to December 2012 15

Court Orders: Greater London

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many production orders have been issued by courts in London in each year since 2002.

Helen Grant: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
	Production orders are not recorded on HMCTS' central database. Paper applications are retained at each court but procedures vary from court to court and to calculate how many have been issued would involve manual identification and counting and would involve disproportionate costs.

Deportation: Syria

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if she will support Syrian students at universities in the UK who are facing deportation as a result of being unable to access funds due to the conflict in Syria;
	(2)  how many Syrian students studying at UK universities potentially face deportation as a result of being unable to access funds because of the conflict in Syria;
	(3)  what recent representations she has received on reports that hundreds of Syrian students studying at UK universities face deportation to Syria where they will be at risk of detention and torture.

Mark Harper: Officials from the Department of Business, Innovation arid Skills are aware of a number of students and universities affected by the situation in Syria and are working with Universities UK to identify ways to enable students from Syria to continue their studies in the UK. We are not aware that any students have been removed from their courses as a direct result of the political situation in Syria and the impact this has had on their ability to access funding.
	We appreciate the potential challenges faced by students living in the UK who wish to receive money from countries that are subject to financial sanctions and look favourably on licence applications to the Treasury to enable the financing of education.
	As a result of the exceptional situation the UK Border Agency has allowed Syrian students in the UK to extend the period of their visas or switch visa route where the immigration rules would have otherwise prevented them from doing so.

Detention Centres: Internet

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which websites detainees at immigration detention centres are blocked from accessing.

Mark Harper: holding answer 29 January 2013
	The details of individual blocked websites are not held centrally and could be obtained only by examination of information held at each immigration removal centre (IRC) at disproportionate cost.
	Internet access is not standardised across all IRCs, although a review of access is being undertaken to address this.
	Most suppliers operating IRCs on behalf of the UK Border Agency use specialised software which screens out prohibited categories of sites or sites whose addresses contain prohibited key words rather than blocking individual website addresses. Prohibited categories are based on safety and security concerns.

Entry Clearances

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time taken was to make a decision on an application for a sponsorship licence in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mark Harper: The average length of time taken to process a sponsorship application in the latest period 1 July 2012 to 30 September 2012 was 41 calendar days.

Entry Clearances

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what target her Department has adopted for the time between promulgation of an entry clearance appeal determination when the appellant is successful and the issuing of entry clearance to that appellant.

Mark Harper: Entry clearance appeals are considered on the basis of the facts at the time of the original application not at the date of the appeal hearing. An allowed appeal means that the immigration judge has ruled that the entry clearance officer (ECO) was wrong to refuse entry clearance not that the applicant is entitled to entry clearance.
	If the applicant still wants to travel, the ECO should normally issue entry clearance within eight weeks of receiving the determination unless:
	there has been a significant and material change in circumstances since the refusal decision of which the HM Courts and Tribunal Service would be unaware; or
	there has been a material deception which has come to light of which the immigration judge would not have been aware; or
	the results of checks that were instigated prior to refusing the application came back after the appeal was heard.
	If the above circumstances apply, Visa Sections abroad should first consider challenging the determination.
	The target is 90% within eight weeks.
	The UK Border Agency is currently meeting this target.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many student visa checks have been waiting for more than the guideline time for a response.

Mark Harper: holding answer 30 January 2013
	The UK Border Agency carries out various checks prior to making a decision on any visa application, including Tier 4 applications.
	For non-settlement visas the UK Border Agency aims to complete 90% of applications within three weeks, 98% within six weeks and 100% within 12 weeks.
	In 2012 the UK Border Agency completed 94% of Tier 4 visa applications within three weeks, 99%within six weeks and 100% within 12 weeks.
	The latest Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas applications and visa grants are published in the release Immigration Statistics, which is available at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/
	A copy of the latest release, ‘Immigration Statistics July to September 2012’ has been placed in the House Library.

Entry Clearances: Yemen

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with her counterpart in Yemen on the resumption of visa services in Sana'a.

Mark Harper: holding answer 30 January 2013
	Home Office Ministers have meetings with a wide variety of partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Human Trafficking: Children

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures the UK Border Agency has put in place to identify possible child trafficking victims.

Mark Harper: The UK Border Agency and Border Force play vital roles in disrupting trafficking attempts abroad and detecting trafficking both at the border and within the UK. All front-line staff are trained in child safeguarding and to spot indicators of human trafficking; multi-agency child safeguarding and investigation teams are in place at the UK's major ports; and a system of alerts and other intelligence tools are used to give officers the information they need to intervene in cases of suspected trafficking.
	The UK Border Agency and Border Force are also two of the key agencies involved in the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), the UK's framework for identifying and supporting trafficking victims. Together with other front line agencies such as the police, local authorities and voluntary sector organisations, the NRM shares information and expertise that can be used to confirm victim status and ensure appropriate care is provided.

Immigration

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she will publish the report estimating the number of Romanian and Bulgarian nationals expected to enter the UK in 2014.

Mark Harper: The Home Office is not aware of any report which estimates such numbers, and has not commissioned estimates of this sort. The Government accepts the view of the independent Migration Advisory Committee that to produce such estimates "would not be sensible, or helpful to policymakers". Rather than produce speculative forecasts, the Government's priority is to cut out abuse of free movement and address pull factors such as access to benefits and public services. The Home Office is working closely with other Government Departments on these issues.

Immigration

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many non-EEA nationals who applied to enter the UK between 9 July and 31 December 2012 as the partner of a British citizen or permanent resident stated in their application that they had one or more children in the UK;
	(2)  how many non-EEA nationals who applied to enter the UK between 9 July and 31 December 2012 as the partner of a British citizen or permanent resident applied to bring one or more child dependents with them.

Mark Harper: To provide an accurate answer to the questions tabled would require the examination of individual records which would incur disproportionate costs.
	The latest Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visa applications and visa grants are published in the release Immigration Statistics, which is available at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/
	A copy of the latest release, 'Immigration Statistics July-September 2012' has been placed in the House Library.

Immigration

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for indefinite leave to remain were made at UK Border Agency posts overseas in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; and how many such applications were granted.

Mark Harper: Indefinite leave to remain (ILR) is a status granted in the UK, not overseas, so no applications for indefinite leave to remain were made at UK Border Agency posts overseas.

Immigration

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the number of Romanians and Bulgarians who may seek work in the UK after immigration restrictions are lifted in 2014.

Mark Harper: holding answer 1 February 2013
	The Home Office regularly monitors and analyses overall migration data to help inform policy decisions. However, we have not prepared forecasts of likely inflows from Romania and Bulgaria once restrictions are lifted. The Government accepts the view of the independent Migration Advisory Committee that to produce such estimates “would not be sensible, or helpful to policymakers”. Rather than produce speculative forecasts, the Government's priority is to cut out abuse of free movement and address pull factors such as access to benefits and public services.
	The Home Office is working closely with other Government Departments on these issues.

Immigration

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for indefinite leave to remain were made at UK Border Agency posts overseas on the grounds of family or partners residing in the UK (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Mark Harper: Indefinite leave to remain (ILR) is a status granted in the UK, not overseas, so no applications for indefinite leave to remain were made at UK Border Agency posts overseas.

Immigration

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for leave to enter were considered at (a) overseas posts and (b) the UK Visa Section in Croydon in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012.

Mark Harper: Information on the total number of entry clearance visa applications and entry clearance visas resolved (total decisions) is currently published annually.
	Corresponding information for 2012 on a quarterly basis is planned to be published on 28 February 2013, as part of the Home Office's quarterly Immigration Statistics release.
	The figures for visas, provided in response to this question and appearing in the following table provide the latest available published statistics (2010 and 2011) for entry clearance visa applications issued only (see following table).
	
		
			 Entry clearance visas: applications, resolved(1), issued and refused, 2010 and 2011 
			    of which 
			 2010 Applications received  Issued Refused Withdrawn or lapsed 
			 Total 2,529,964 2,553,896 2,144,642 379,584 29,670 
			 of which      
			 Decided in Croydon 24,743 — 15,638 9,105 —

Immigration Controls: Data Protection

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the retention of case notes and documentation by UK Border Agency entry clearance officers and caseworkers in the UK and abroad.

Mark Harper: Entry Clearance Officers record case notes electronically and are required to retain documents (or copies) that are directly relevant to the decision. If it is not possible to retain such documents they are clearly referenced in case notes. The UK Border Agency has a programme of continuous improvement which is designed to drive up decision quality and to ensure compliance with existing policy.
	The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration also monitors compliance with document retention and case notes policy and two of his most recent overseas inspections in Accra and Madrid point to the success of the continuous improvement programme.
	Regarding caseworkers in the UK and abroad, we have introduced a data capture tool to help casework teams considering applications to record information relevant to their decisions. In future it is planned that documents will be scanned and stored in a secure location until we reach a decision on an application, reducing the movement of physical documents around the UK Border Agency.

Immigration Controls: Data Protection

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she has taken to improve the (a) production of notes and (b) retention of copies of documents in UK Border Agency casework.

Mark Harper: As part of the UK Border Agency's transformation, we are ensuring all relevant information is captured digitally and in a structured way which can then be used intelligently to improve customer service and increase operational effectiveness. In addition, and as part of an agency-wide drive to improve paper record keeping, a comprehensive review of caseworkers' guidance is being undertaken to provide clarity on what documents need to be retained and for how long, in line with both the Public Records and Data Protection Act. In future, documents will be scanned and stored in a secure location until a decision is reached on an application, reducing the movement of physical documents around the UK Border Agency.

Immigration Controls: Data Protection

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to ensure that best practice is shared between UK Border Agency officers in the UK and their counterparts abroad.

Mark Harper: As part of the UK Border Agency's transformation plan, the organisation is looking at ways of more closely aligning operational structures and caseworking processes throughout the agency. Part of this work is ensuring that it identifies and applies best practice consistently throughout all of its operations both in the UK and abroad and learns from international partners.

Incitement

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many instances of material that incited hatred and is illegal have been reported using the Association of Chief Police Officers True Vision website in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many cases reported to the Association of Chief Police Officers True Vision website have led to criminal proceedings in each of the last five years.

Helen Grant: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
	This information is not recorded by Her Majesty's Government. Actionable True Vision reports are sent directly to police forces and any crimes are recorded locally. The Association of Chief Police Officers established the current True Vision facility in February 2011 and has informed the Government Hate Crime Programme that there have been 3,620 reports to the end of November 2012, although it is not known centrally how many of these resulted in ‘recordable crimes’.

Lost Property

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will list the items of equipment owned by the UK Border Agency that were (a) lost, (b) stolen, (c) written off and (d) recovered between 1 January 2011 and the most recent date for which figures are available.

Mark Harper: Records held by the UK Border Agency (UKBA) indicate that the following items of equipment have been lost, stolen, written off and/or recovered since January 2011:
	One theft of a mobile phone
	One loss of a mobile phone
	One theft of a laptop
	No items have been recovered
	Laptops used by UKBA staff are protected by a variety of security measures in the event that they are lost or stolen.

Lost Property

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will list the items of departmental equipment (a) lost, (b) stolen, (c) written off and (d) recovered between 1 January 2011 and the most recent date for which figures are available.

James Brokenshire: Information relating to departmental equipment lost, stolen, written off and recovered can be found on the following link to the Home Office webpage:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/about-us/transparency/lost-mobiles-laptops-media/
	and is provided in the table below for ease of reference.
	Information on items lost and stolen for 2012 will be published shortly.
	
		
			 2011 
			 Device/Incident Number 
			 Lost Blackberries/Mobile Phones 30 
			 Stolen Blackberries/Mobile Phones 12 
			 Lost Laptops 1 
			 Stolen Laptops 4 
			 Lost Removable Media 1 
			 Stolen Removable Media 1 
			 Recovered Blackberries/Mobiles 3 
			 Recovered Laptops 1 
			 Note: The above information has been taken from the Home Office webpage. (For the purposes of reporting, “Home Office Group” includes, core Home Office, UK Border Agency, Identity and Passport Service (IPS), Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and excludes, non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) and other arm's length bodies (ALBs)).

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 17 December 2012 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Dr M Kiche.

Mark Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 29 January 2013.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 18 December 2012 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr I C Kallon.

Mark Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 29 January 2013.

Offenders: Passports

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many criminals or suspects whose passports are held by the police have successfully applied for a new passport in (a) their own and (b) another name in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mark Harper: holding answer 18 January 2013
	Information is not held centrally in the format requested. All passport requests are considered on an individual basis and are subject to relevant security checks, including where appropriate, reference to the police or other law enforcement agencies.

Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2013, Official Report, column 245W, on prisoners: foreign nationals, 
	(1)  how many foreign national offenders were detained beyond the end of their custodial sentences and (a) subsequently deported and (b) remain in the UK;
	(2)  how many foreign national offenders were detained beyond the end of their custodial sentences throughout (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Mark Harper: holding answer 15 January 2013
	The following table shows a further breakdown of the number of foreign national offenders detained by the UK Border Agency (UKBA) at the end of their custodial sentence as at April 2010, April 2011 and April 2012. It shows the number of foreign national offenders subsequently removed or deported and those that currently remain in the UK.
	
		
			 As at April each year: Total FNOs detained beyond the end of their sentence Of which: (a) Total FNOs subsequently removed or deported Of which: (b) Total FNOs that remain in the UK (ie not removed or deported 
			 2010 1,914 982 932 
			 2011 1,461 672 789 
			 2012 1,364 496 868 
		
	
	The following table shows the total number of foreign national offenders who were detained beyond their custodial sentences throughout (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012. We are able to provide figures from our electronic records for financial year only and not calendar year. The figures provided for financial year 2012-13 are provided up to September 2012.
	
		
			 Financial year Total FNOs detained beyond their sentence 
			 FY 2010-11 6,520 
			 FY 2011-12 5,698 
			 FY 2012-13 (to September 2012) 3,631 
		
	
	The UK Border Agency make every effort to ensure that a person's removal by deportation coincides, as far as possible, with his/her release from prison on completion of sentence. Where a detainee refuses to co-operate with the removal or deportation process, detention may be prolonged.
	The financial year figure refers to the total number of cases that have been detained by UKBA. This figure is high because it refers to all cases that have finished their sentence throughout the year. It includes those that were non-detained previously and were then detained in order to effect their removal. The cases will flow through detention and either be removed, be released or remain detained. Some cases will remain in detention for short periods while others will remain for longer periods depending on the risk of harm to the public, of absconding or removability.

Slavery

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what information is used to map the location of victims of slavery in England and Wales; [R]
	(2)  if she will record the local authority areas where victims of slavery were found prior to their referral to the National Referral Mechanism; [R]
	(3)  whether her Department collects data on which local authority areas victims of slavery have been found in England and Wales prior to their referral to the National Referral Mechanism; and if she will make a statement. [R]

Mark Harper: Intelligence and organised crime group mapping techniques are used to identify areas of the UK where exploitation occurs.
	Data on the local authority area where victims of human trafficking have been found are not currently routinely recorded.
	As set out in the Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group report on human trafficking, published on 18 October 2012, the Government is focusing on improving its collection of data on human trafficking victims to strengthen the UK's response to this crime.

Theft: Denton

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many cases of theft from the person there were in Denton and Redditch constituency in each of the last five years; and what the nature was of each item stolen;
	(2)  how many thefts of motor vehicles there were in (a) Denton and Redditch constituency and (b) the North West in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated February 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking for (a) the number of cases of theft from the person in Denton and Redditch constituency in each of the last five years, (b) what the nature was of each item stolen and (c) the number of cases of theft of a motor vehicle there were in the Denton and Redditch constituency and the North West region in each of the last five years. (141531 and 141532)
	Police recorded crime figures are provided for the last five financial years (April to March) for Stockport and Tameside local authority areas combined and for the North West region. Crime data are not available at parliamentary constituency level; in this instance Denton and Redditch constituency spans two local authority areas. A combined figure for these two local authority areas is given as follows.
	
		
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Stockport and Tameside      
			 Theft from the person 576 505 496 446 376 
			 Theft of a motor vehicle 1,855 1,806 1,273 1,137 824 
			       
			 North West region      
			 Theft of a motor vehicle 23,581 20,451 15,609 12,784 10,262 
		
	
	Details of the items stolen in theft from the person offences are not available at local authority level.

Travellers: Animal Welfare

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information and guidance is made available to local authorities, charities and enforcement agencies on dealing with animal welfare issues within the Traveller community.

David Heath: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
	No specific advice is given to local authorities, charities and enforcement agencies on dealing with animal welfare issues within the traveller community. However, guidance notes on animal welfare legislation are available to such organisations. DEFRA will also provide assistance for local authorities, charities and enforcement agencies on how best to communicate with the Traveller community on animal welfare issues.

UK Border Agency

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mandatory and voluntary training she has put in place for UK Border Agency employees responsible for (a) casework decisions and (b) writing reports; and what proportion of employees have undergone that training.

Mark Harper: holding answer 28 January 2013
	All UK Border Agency staff receive mandatory e-learning in Information Management and Information Assurance, Keeping Children Safe, Human Trafficking, Health and Safety Awareness, Introduction to Diversity and Equality, Counter Fraud, and Bribery and Corruption.
	There are a number of different case-working functions in the UK Border Agency. Each has a specific mandatory training programme which all caseworkers undertake prior to making casework decisions. Caseworkers also receive counter terrorism training and Casework Information Database training. Caseworkers who interview applicants attend a mandatory two-day Personal Safety Training course. This is followed by an annual one-day refresher course.
	Additional training is provided as caseworkers develop and progress in their role. Report writing training is provided by Civil Service Learning and is mandatory for those engaged in providing reports for court or for intelligence reports.
	All officers engaged in these activities have completed this training.

West Midlands Police

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) full-time equivalent policy officers, (b) full-time equivalent community support officers, (c) other full-time equivalent staff were employed by West Midlands Police in each of the last three years.

Damian Green: The number of police officers, police community support officers and police staff employed by West Midlands Police in each of the last three years is shown within the following table (full-time equivalent).
	
		
			 Number of police officers, police community support officers and police staff in West Midlands police force area as at 30 September 2010 to 2012(1) 
			 As at 30 September: Police officers Police community support officers Police staff(2) 
			 2010 8,485 784 3,544 
			 2011 7,992 736 3,008 
			 2012 7,687 696 2,923 
			 (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. (2) Police staff excludes designated officers, police community support officers and traffic wardens.

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of questions for written answer on a named day by her Department (a) received a substantive answer after the named day and (b) have not received a substantive answer in this Session.

Mark Harper: The Home Department has received 700 named day parliamentary questions so far in this session. 361 (51%) received a substantive response after the named day and 35 (5%) have yet to receive a substantive response in this session, 13 of which have missed the named day. The remainder have not been answered as they have not yet reached the named day for answer.
	Parliamentary questions on the Government Equalities Office (GEO) are included in the figures up until 4 September 2012 when the GEO moved to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
	This is Management Information; it is provisional and subject to change.
	The Government has committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Department's performance for the 2010-12 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of questions tabled for ordinary written answer by her Department (a) were answered after 30 days and (b) have not been answered in this Session.

Mark Harper: The Home Department has received 2,594 ordinary written parliamentary questions so far in this Session. 167 (6.4%) received a substantive response after 30 days and 172 (6.6%) have yet to receive a substantive response in this Session.
	Parliamentary questions on the Government Equalities Office (GEO) are included in the figures up until 4 September 2012 when the GEO moved to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
	This is management information, it is provisional and subject to change.
	The Government has committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Department's performance for the 2010 to 2012 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.

PRIME MINISTER

Food Banks

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer to question 140119, to the hon. Member for St Helen's South of 30 January 2013, on what date he plans to visit that food bank.

David Cameron: Details of my engagements are announced as and when appropriate.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Prime Minister whether he expects the Iraq Inquiry led by Sir John Chilcot to report before May 2015.

David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 January 2013, Official Report, column 547W, to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Hall Green (Mr Godsiff).

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a list of the documents under negotiation between the Iraq Inquiry led by Sir John Chilcot and the Government for declassification to enable quotation within or publication alongside the report of the Inquiry; and what the date was of the initial declassification request for each such document.

David Cameron: The Inquiry has been clear that it does not intend to publish any further documents in advance of its final report, and the Government will not undermine that by publishing details of the incomplete declassification process.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the consultant's report on proposals for the Bost Agri-Business Park made in July 2010 is publicly available.

Justine Greening: The consultant’s report on proposals for the Bost Agri-Business Park is not publicly available.

Afghanistan

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development to which Minister the consultant's report on the Bost Agri-Business Park in Afghanistan was made in July 2010.

Justine Greening: The project was not authorised by a Minister as at the time Ministers had delegated authority for routine project spending under £40 million to officials.
	The report was submitted to officials not Ministers.

Afghanistan

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which Minister authorised her Department's investment in the Bost Agri-Business Park project in Afghanistan; and when that authorisation was made.

Justine Greening: The project was not authorised by a Minister as at the time Ministers had delegated authority for routine project spending under £40 million to officials.

Africa

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid her Department has given to (a) Uganda and (b) Rwanda in each year since 2010; and how much aid it plans to spend in the each of the next three years.

Lynne Featherstone: In the financial year 2009-10, DFID provided £68.1 million of development assistance to Uganda, and £52.8 million to Rwanda. In 2010-11, DFID provided £94 million of development assistance to Uganda and £89.9 million to Rwanda. In 2011-12 DFID provided £75.9 million of development assistance to Uganda and £75.9 million to Rwanda.
	DFID spending for the next three financial years is set out in DFID country operational plans. The total amount that will be provided in 2012-13 for Uganda will however be reduced due to the current suspension of financial aid to the Government of Uganda.
	Spending beyond 2014-15 is subject to the next Comprehensive Spending Review.

Burma

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Burma; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Duncan: There is particular concern for the humanitarian wellbeing of those affected by violence in Kachin and Rakhine states. In Kachin the instability which started in June 2011, has led to the displacement of around 85,000 people, loss of lives and livelihoods, and substantial damage to infrastructure. We are especially concerned by the recent increase in fighting in Kachin and are liaising daily with our humanitarian partners on the effects on the civilian population, with a view to how they can continue to best respond to humanitarian needs.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) has provided £3.5 million for bilateral humanitarian aid to Kachin since January 2012. In Rakhine state, inter-communal violence has displaced over 100,000 people since June 2012, Access to water and sanitation as well as nutrition and health care for those in camps remain concerns. At the end of last year DFID contributed £2 million bilateral humanitarian aid to communities affected by the inter-communal violence in Rakhine.

Burma

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what reports she has received on the use of funds of the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria in Karen State, Burma.

Alan Duncan: The Global Fund resumed support to Burma in January 2011 after a gap of six years. The first phase of grants totalling US $105 million for 2011 and 2012 is for programmes on AIDS, TB and Malaria. Global Fund grants operate in all states and regions of Burma, including Karen state. A diagnostic review of the grants was carried out by the Global Fund's independent Office of the Inspector General (OIG) in November 2011.

Darwin Initiative

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding her Department has granted to the Darwin Initiative, in each year for which figures are available.

Lynne Featherstone: £2.6 million was transferred to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in financial year 2011-12 and £3 million in financial year 2012-13. Funds were transferred through an inter-departmental Public Expenditure Survey transfer.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with (a) her counterparts in the UN Security Council, (b) the UN and (c) her counterparts in other EU countries about the humanitarian situation in Democratic Republic of Congo; and what the outcome of any such discussions has been.

Lynne Featherstone: The Secretary of State for International Development has had discussions with her counterparts at the UN and with other EU countries about the humanitarian situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In addition, UK officials discuss these matters regularly with officials representing these countries.
	These discussions have reaffirmed the need to ensure that the protection of civilians remains a central part of negotiations on a resolution in the east of the DRC.

Developing Countries: Debts Written Off

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer to question 140135 of 30 January 2013, what estimate she has made of how much and what proportion of official development assistance will be made up by debt relief in (a) 2014, (b) 2015 and (c) 2016.

Justine Greening: Debt relief forecasts are based on judgments about when countries will have achieved sufficient progress on certain macroeconomic factors to qualify for debt relief under an international process led by the Paris Club.
	The Paris Club operates on the basis of consensus and confidentiality, and as a result, we do not publish debt relief forecasts. Therefore it is not appropriate to provide an estimate of how much or what proportion of official development assistance will be made up of debt relief in the years 2014 to 2016.

Developing Countries: Human Rights

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how her Department ensures aid is delivered to countries that do not violate human rights either in their own or in other countries.

Lynne Featherstone: In July 2011, DFID announced tougher rules about when to provide aid directly to countries' Governments. Our strengthened Partnership Principles require that before providing direct support to Governments, we assess their shared commitment to reducing poverty, respecting human rights, improving public financial management, fighting corruption and being more accountable to their own citizens.

International Climate Fund

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the International Climate Fund; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The effectiveness of all International Climate Fund spend is regularly assessed, including through annual programme reviews. A set of key performance indicators have also been developed to enable results to be measured and aggregated across the International Climate Fund portfolio. These are currently being trialled across the full portfolio of bilateral programmes funded by the International Climate Fund and will allow reporting of expected results in the first half of this year.
	The International Climate Fund has been operational for nearly two years, and as such a mid-term evaluation is about to start. The mid-term evaluation will focus on the alignment of the International Climate Fund portfolio to strategic objectives, expected results, expected value for money, and monitoring and evaluation processes. It will specifically address some key effectiveness questions, including whether the appropriate systems are in place to maximise the fund's overall impact.

Japan

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the UK provided any (a) financial and (b) other aid to Japan following the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.

Alan Duncan: In response to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in March 2011 the UK deployed a 59-strong UK Search and Rescue team at a cost of £843,426; and the provision of 100 tonnes of bottled water, sourced from Hong Kong, at a cost of £232,443. This UK response helped to fill gaps in its humanitarian need which Japan found difficult to meet itself, and which were specifically requested by the Japanese authorities. No financial assistance was provided to the Japanese Government.

Jordan

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) financial and (b) other assistance her Department has given to Jordan to deal with refugees from Syria; when any such aid was given; and to what uses any such aid has been put.

Justine Greening: During my visit to Jordan on 26 January, I announced an additional £10 million for the refugee response in Jordan. Together with funding provided in 2012, the UK is now providing over £21 million to support Syrian refugees in Jordan. In Jordan, our aid is already providing food for 12,000 people each month, clean drinking for 5,000 people and has provided over 10,000 medical consultations.
	At the Kuwait donors conference on 30 January I made clear that other countries must play their part. The UK donated £50 million and the international community collectively exceeded the $1.5 billion target, which will help countries in the region affected by the crisis, including Jordan.

Overseas Aid

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many international charities receive funding from her Department.

Lynne Featherstone: The Department for International Development (DFID) supports Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) through a range of centrally managed funds and country programmes. Details of funding provided to UK based CSOs can be found in Table 3 and 19 of ‘Statistics on International Development’ which is available on the DFID website:
	www.dfid.gov.uk
	DFID's overseas offices also provide support to local civil society organisations.
	In 2010-11 the UK Government introduced the Aid Transparency Guarantee. This commits DFID to making details of all the projects we fund available for public scrutiny. Full details can be found on the project database on DFID's website:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-us/How-we-measure-progress/DFID-spend/

Overseas Aid

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding has been allocated by her Department to future projects which aim to deliver gains for both communities and wildlife under her Department's strategy to support a healthy environment in the developing world.

Lynne Featherstone: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not track spending on wildlife protection specifically, and is unable to separate spending on wildlife protection where delivered as a co-benefit as part of a wider programme. DFID's funding to forestry programmes delivers important co-benefits for communities and local wildlife. £2.9 billion has been allocated to the International Climate Fund (ICF) for the period 2011-12 to 2014-15, of which approximately 20% (around £580 million) has been allocated to forestry. DFID has also committed:
	£5.5 million per annum to the Darwin Initiative, a fund managed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs that supports biodiversity goals in some of the poorest and most biodiverse countries;
	$14 million in 2013 and 2014 to the Global Environment Facility, the largest global fund supporting national sustainable development and environment goals in developing countries while also delivering global environmental benefits—these figures represent the UK's share of the GEF's biodiversity programme budget.

Overseas Aid

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding has been given to projects which aim to deliver gains for both communities and local wildlife under her Department's strategy to support a healthy environment in the developing world in each of the last five years.

Lynne Featherstone: The Department for International Development (DFID) strives to preserve and protect local wildlife through all of its programmes as part of a rigorous process of environmental assessment and review. DFID does not track spending specifically related to local wildlife benefits, and is unable to separate spending on wildlife where delivered as a co-benefit as part of a wider programme. Programmes that deliver important co-benefits for communities and local wildlife include DFID's funding to forestry programmes, to the biodiversity element of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and to the Darwin Initiative delivered by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. DFID's annual spend on these programmes for each of the last five years—where figures are available—is provided as follows.
	
		
			 £ million 
			  Forestry(1) GEF biodiversity(2) Darwin(3) 
			 2008-09 7.3 11.5 0 
			 2009-10 21.8 11.5 0 
			 2010-11 22.4 11.5 0 
			 2011-12 32.6 14.0 2.6 
			 2012-13 n/a 14.0 3.0 
			 (1) These figures are the total amount of UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) spent in the forestry sector as reported to the OEGD. It covers a wide range of forestry sector activities including forestry policy and research. (2) These figures represent the UK's share of the GEF’s biodiversity programme budget. (3) DFID began funding the Darwin Initiative in 2011-12. The commitment was for £5.5 million per annum. These figures represent the amount spent on projects which are ODA compliant.

Overseas Aid

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer to question 140135 of 30 January 2013, what proportion of official development assistance provided by the UK was met by her Department in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011, (e) 2012 and (f) 2013 to date; and what estimate she has made of that proportion in (i) 2014 and (ii) 2015.

Justine Greening: The proportion of official development assistance (ODA) provided by the UK that was spent by the Department for International Development (DFID) for 2008 to 2011 was as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			 2008 84 
			 2009 87 
			 2010 87 
			 2011 89 
		
	
	A provisional 2012 ODA figure will be published around March 2013 with finalised 2012 ODA being published in September/October 2013. Based on budgets set by HM Treasury up to 2014-15, we estimate that DFID will continue to spend around the same proportion of total ODA.

Palestinians

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether any of her Department's financial aid to the Palestinian Occupied Territories is allocated to the purchase of school textbooks endorsed by the Palestinian Authority.

Alan Duncan: The UK Government does not allocate an amount for the purchase of text books used in Palestinian schools.

Palestinians

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of her Department's financial aid to the Palestinian Occupied Territories in 2013-14 will be spent on social assistance programmes providing welfare payments to the families of prisoners.

Justine Greening: Due to its current severe fiscal crisis, the Palestinian Authority has not yet been able to agree its 2013 budget. It is therefore not possible at this stage to give an accurate prediction of how our assistance for the financial year 2013-14 will be spent.

Palestinians

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether any of her Department's financial aid to the Palestinian Occupied Territories is allocated to support the publication of the Zayzafuna magazine.

Justine Greening: There is no specific allocation within the Palestinian Authority's budget for Zayzafuna magazine. Funding proposals are submitted to the Ministry of Finance by the Ministry of Social Affairs, where they are screened according to various criteria.

Palestinians

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether any of her Department's financial aid to the Palestinian Occupied Territories is allocated for the protection of members of the Palestinian Authority during their overseas visits.

Justine Greening: There is no specific allocation within the Palestinian Authority's budget for protection expenses while on duty visits.

Palestinians

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2013, Official Report, column 645W, on Palestinians, whether prisoners in Israeli jails, without spouses or children, are in receipt of social welfare payments supported by the Government.

Justine Greening: This is a question for the Palestinian Authority.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Regeneration

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to support the regeneration of previously developed land.

Don Foster: Brownfield land is often valuable as a community space or as habitat.
	Unlike the previous Administration our policy recognises this. It does not set a target for development on brownfield land and allows local communities to decide what is best in their area.
	All land should be used appropriately and effectively.

Local Government Finance

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the accuracy of the data used to determine the local government finance settlement.

Brandon Lewis: Data to be used in the local government finance settlement was discussed in the Local Government Finance Working Group's Baseline Sub-Group, prior to consultation on the provisional settlement. The Group comprised officials from the Department together with representatives from local government. Papers and minutes are available on our website.

Local Government Finance

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what the average spending power per head is for residents in predominantly rural counties and unitaries of all types and for residents in predominantly urban counties and unitaries of all types in 2012-13;
	(2)  what the proposed average spending power per head is for residents in predominantly rural counties and unitaries of all types and for residents in predominantly urban counties and unitaries of all types, as indicated by the provisional local government finance settlement.

Brandon Lewis: holding answer 18 January 2013
	My Department does not publish such figures on spending power per head by both rural classification and local government tier.
	Counties and unitaries have different statutory functions: their spending power per head is not directly comparable.
	Notwithstanding, figures on spending power by local authority can be found at:
	www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1314/settle.htm

Council Tax Benefit

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to council tax benefit on working people on low incomes.

Brandon Lewis: An equalities impact assessment for localising council tax support was carried out in January 2012 and is available on our Department website.
	Local authorities will want to take into account the impact on low income families and incentives to work, when designing their schemes.

Families: Disadvantaged

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Troubled Families initiative in (a) Peterborough constituency and (b) the East of England; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: Local authorities are making good progress. Already we have all 152 upper-tier councils signed up and between them in the first year of the programme (2012-13) they have agreed to work with almost 42,000 families across England, over a third of the 120,000 target.
	As part of the national target, Peterborough City Council have committed to turning around the lives of 450 troubled families over the course of the three year programme. In the first year they committed to work with a third of their total and are on course to deliver this. Other localities in that part of the country are similarly on track.
	My Department is about to commission an independent evaluation of the programme which will be looking at the progress and outcomes that areas such as Peterborough achieve with troubled families across a broader set of issues, and the savings made as a result.

Ministers’ Private Offices

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost of running each ministerial private office was in his Department in each of the last three years.

Brandon Lewis: Ministerial private offices are a key link in handling ministerial correspondence, organising the ministerial diaries, supporting Ministers on external engagements and visits, conveying Ministers' views to officials and overseeing the provision of advice to Ministers, handling communications and policy discussions with other Government Departments, and providing Ministers with general information and views from their Departments.
	We have cut the administrative costs of private offices by 31% from 2009-10 to 2011-12, reflecting the broader administrative savings we are making across the Department.
	
		
			 Financial year Direct running costs (£) 
			 2009-10  
			 Secretary of State 614,310.55 
			 Minister of State 464,788.97 
			 Minister of State 422,888.38 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State 260,687.57 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State 300,991.88 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State 244,784.14 
			 Total 2,308,451.49 
			   
			 2010-11  
			 Secretary of State 539,281.27 
			 Minister of State 311,127.50 
			 Minister of State 303,452.98 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State 227,267.66 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State 215,822.68 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State 212,781.69 
			 Total 1,809,733.78 
			   
			 2011-12  
			 Secretary of State 551,827.60 
			 Minister of State 255,696.25 
			 Minister of State 274,620.85 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State 192,785.62 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State 156,124.64 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State 153,370.58 
			 Total 1,584,425.54 
		
	
	Where Ministers held joint portfolios with other Departments, only those costs borne directly by DCLG are shown.
	For context, the Department's total running costs in these three financial years were as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year Cost (£ million) 
			 2009-10 484 
			 2010-11 420 
			 2011-12 339 
		
	
	Hence, the cost of ministerial private offices represent just 0.5% of the Department's overall running costs.

Non-domestic Rates

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to his written statement of 25 October 2012, Official Report, columns 63-4WS, on Business Rate Retention Scheme, whether he plans to make an announcement on non-domestic rating for other forms of low carbon technology.

Brandon Lewis: Following the introduction of business rates retention in April 2013, local authorities will be able to benefit from the non-domestic rates paid by all forms of low carbon technology.

Parish Councils

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what level of reserves town and parish councils are required to maintain; and what the average level of reserves is for each of these types of local authorities.

Brandon Lewis: There is no prescriptive national guidance on the minimum or maximum level of reserves, either as an absolute amount or as a percentage of the budget. It is for local authorities to determine the level and use of reserves, as part of their overall financial planning.
	The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect any data relating to the levels of reserves held by town and parish councils.

Travel and Subsistence Payments

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many senior officials in his Department (a) have and (b) have had during 2012-13 terms of employment that specify that their main place of employment is their home address and that they are entitled to claim travel and subsistence expenses for visiting departmental offices.

Brandon Lewis: No senior staff in my Department have or have had during 2012-13 terms of employment specifying that their main place of employment is their home address.
	All senior staff in my Department are based in one of our departmental offices and are only able to claim travel and subsistence expenses for visiting other departmental offices where these are not their main place of employment, in line with normal departmental rules.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Trident

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the Government will publish the written evidence received as part of the Trident Alternatives Review.

Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply 
	as the Minister responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Islington North (Jeremy Corbyn) on 31 October 2012, Official Report, column 249W: there are no plans to publish the information that the review draws upon due to its highly classified nature.

Trident

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what consultations the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has had with counterparts and defence ministers from each of the NATO member states as part of the Trident Alternatives Review; and when such meetings took place.

Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply 
	as the Minister responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review.
	None.

Trident

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will publish details of all costs associated with the Trident Alternatives Review.

Danny Alexander: holding answer 1 February 2013
	I have been asked to reply 
	as the Minister responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the right hon. Member for Coventry North East (Mr Ainsworth) on 22 November 2012, Official Report, column 563W.

Trident

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  whether the Trident Alternatives Review will include detailed (a) through-life costings and (b) capital costs of all alternative deterrent systems the Review has considered, with timelines for any such costs;
	(2)  whether the Trident Alternatives Review will consider the industrial implications of all alternative weapons systems the Review has considered;
	(3)  whether the Trident Alternatives Review will consider and publish the infrastructure costs of all alternative weapons systems the Review has considered.

Danny Alexander: holding answer 1 February 2013
	I have been asked to reply 
	as the Minister responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review.
	In accordance with its terms of reference, the review will assess the costs of alternatives and consider industrial implications.
	I will not speculate about what detail might be published.

Trident

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many members of staff from (a) HM Treasury, (b) the Ministry of Defence and (c) the Cabinet Office have worked on the Trident Alternatives Review on either a temporary or permanent basis.

Danny Alexander: holding answer 1 February 2013
	I have been asked to reply 
	as the Minister responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 31 October 2012, Official Report, column 296W, to the right hon. Member for Coventry North East (Mr Ainsworth).

Trident

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what alternatives to the continuous at-sea deterrence policy the Trident Alternatives Review is considering.

Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply 
	as the Minister responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review.
	In accordance with its terms of reference, the review is considering alternative systems and alternative nuclear postures. I will not comment further on the precise detail of what is being examined by the review.

Trident

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which serving and former one star and above officers the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has met as part of the Trident Alternatives Review.

Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply 
	as the Minister responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review.
	I have met the following senior officials in my role as the Minister overseeing the Trident Alternatives Review:
	Deputy National Security Adviser, Foreign and Defence Policy;
	Assistant Chief of Defence Staff Nuclear and Chemical, Biological, MOD;
	Chief Strategic Systems Executive, MOD;
	Head of Defence and Counter-Proliferation, Cabinet Office;
	Head of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Policy, MOD;
	Head of the Strategic Weapons Project Team, MOD.

Trident

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which budget the Chief Secretary to the Treasury was allocated to conduct the Trident Alternatives Review.

Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply 
	as the Minister responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 November 2012, Official Report, column 563W, to the right hon. Member for Coventry North East (Mr Ainsworth).

Trident

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which Ministers submitted comments to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury as part of the Trident Alternatives Review.

Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply 
	as the Minister responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review.
	None.

Trident

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many departmental officials have been consulted as part of the Trident Alternatives Review; and in which departments such staff are based.

Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply 
	as the Minister responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 31 October 2012, Official Report, column 296W, to the right hon. Member for Coventry North East (Mr Ainsworth). The total number of officials consulted as part of the review is not centrally recorded, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

JUSTICE

Community Orders

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the findings of his Department's impact assessment on intensive community punishment were on the question of whether the risk of reoffending would be higher than for other community orders if any rehabilitative requirements were replaced.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) published its response to the 'Punishment and reform: effective community sentences' consultation on 23 October 2012 announcing the intention not to take forward the proposal in the consultation to introduce Intensive Community Punishment.
	Rather than centrally mandating a set intensive order, we will encourage the courts to make use of recent improvements to the community order framework to create intensive combinations of requirements that meet local needs.
	As part of the consultation impact assessment on ‘Punishment and reform: effective community sentences', the MOJ committed to carry out research into the relative effectiveness of community order requirements at reducing re-offending, for offenders with similar characteristics. This research was published alongside the Government response to the consultation. In relation specifically to punitive requirements, the research indicates that unpaid work and/or curfew can reduce re-offending behaviour. However, the research does not tell us the impact of substituting a requirement with unpaid work or curfew. This research is published on the MOJ website, located on the following webpage:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/research-and-analysis/moj/effectiveness-community-order-requirements

Homicide: Prisoners Release

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  pursuant to his answer of 19 October 2012, Official Report, column 485W, on homicide: prisoners' release, if he will provide the names of the seven offenders on life licence who subsequently re-committed murder; what their subsequent sentence was, including any minimum period of imprisonment; and what the names of the victims of murder were in each case;
	(2)  how many people convicted of (a) murder and (b) manslaughter have been released from prison, convicted a second time of murder or manslaughter and subsequently been released again in the last 20 years.

Jeremy Wright: It is not usual Ministry of Justice practice to publish case level data, and especially the names of victims or their families, in response to parliamentary questions.
	I can say, though, that each of the seven offenders on life licence who were subsequently convicted of another murder is now serving a whole life term. In these cases, there is no minimum period of imprisonment to be served.
	Comprehensive data on offenders' further offending who have been released on licence following a life sentence in each of the last 20 years is not held centrally in a readily accessible electronic format. To obtain these data would exceed cost limits.
	Life sentence prisoners must serve a minimum period of imprisonment to meet the needs of retribution and deterrence. This punitive period is announced by the trial judge in open court and is known commonly as the “tariff” period. No life sentence prisoner can expect to be released before they have served the tariff period in full.
	Release on expiry of the tariff period is not automatic. Release will take place only once this period has been served and only if the Parole Board is satisfied that it is no longer necessary, on the grounds of public protection, for the offender to remain detained in custody.

Judicial Review

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many applications for judicial review there were (a) in total and (b) by area in each year from 1997 to 2012;
	(2)  what the remedies were of each application for a judicial review which was granted, in each year from 1997 to 2012;
	(3)  how many and what proportion of applications for judicial review were (a) granted and (b) refused (i) in total and (ii) by area in each year from 1997 to 2012;
	(4)  how many judicial review applications were (a) launched and (b) successful in each year from 1997 to 2011.

Helen Grant: Statistics in answer to questions 211, 213 and 214 are provided as follows.
	With reference to question 212, management information is not centrally collected on what remedies were given at the conclusion of each judicial review. This information is only available from the orders and/or judgments on each paper file, and could be analysed only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 211 (a) and 214 (a) 
			 Applications for Judicial Review received each year since 2000 
			  2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Judicial Review Civil 3,901 4,392 5,121 5,692 3,895 5,079 6,136 6,402 6,776 8,788 10,209 11,020 12,078 
			 Judicial Review Criminal 336 330 250 246 304 276 286 289 318 304 336 339 357 
			 Grand total 4,237 4,722 5,371 5,938 4,199 5,355 6,422 6,691 7,094 9,092 10,545 11,359 12,435 
		
	
	
		
			 211 (b) 
			 Applications for Judicial Review received by region in 2011 
			  Birmingham Cardiff Leeds London Manchester UTIAC Grand total 
			 Judicial Review Civil 729 143 448 9,195 488 17 11,020 
			 Judicial Review Criminal 17 12 11 281 18 (1)— 339 
			 Grand total 746 155 459 9,476 506 17 11,359 
			 (1) Not applicable 
		
	
	
		
			 211 (b) 
			 Applications for Judicial Review received by region in 2012 
			  Birmingham Cardiff Leeds London Manchester UTIAC Grand total 
			 Judicial Review Civil 672 156 468 10,005 629 148 12,078 
		
	
	
		
			 Judicial Review Criminal 27 14 20 283 13 (1)— 357 
			 Grand total 699 170 488 10,288 642 148 12,435 
			 (1) Not applicable 
		
	
	
		
			 213 (a) (i) 
			 Applications for Judicial Review granted each year since 2000 (includes renewed applications) 
			  2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Judicial Review Civil 1,520 1,269 1,027 1,346 954 786 801 906 1,031 1,018 1,262 1,137 1,275 
			 Judicial Review Criminal 158 126 89 86 76 103 90 90 95 79 74 87 103 
			 Grand total 1,678 1,395 1,116 1,432 1,030 889 891 996 1,126 1,097 1,336 1,224 1,378 
		
	
	
		
			 213 (b) (i) 
			 Applications for Judicial Review refused each year since 2000 (includes renewed applications) 
			  2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Judicial Review Civil 2,234 3,259 3,939 3,577 2,447 2,681 2,904 3,749 4,726 4,270 5,714 6,147 7,265 
			 Judicial Review Criminal 231 286 251 192 279 230 221 216 269 258 261 278 312 
			 Grand total 2,465 3,545 4,190 3,769 2,726 2,911 3,125 3,965 4,995 4,528 5,975 6,425 7,577 
		
	
	
		
			 213 (a) (ii) 
			 Applications for Judicial Review granted by region in 2011 (includes renewed applications) 
			  Birmingham Cardiff Leeds London Manchester UTIAC Grand total 
			 Judicial Review Civil 94 24 74 850 89 6 1,137 
			 Judicial Review Criminal 1 3 4 74 5 0 87 
			 grand total 95 27 78 924 94 6 1,224 
		
	
	
		
			 213 (b) (ii) 
			 Applications for Judicial Review refused by region in 2011 (includes renewed applications) 
			  Birmingham Cardiff Leeds London Manchester UTIAC Grand total 
			 Judicial Review Civil 390 108 301 4,966 351 31 6,147 
			 Judicial Review Criminal 8 17 16 225 12 0 278 
			 Grand total 398 125 317 5,191 363 31 6,425 
		
	
	
		
			 213 (a) (ii) 
			 Applications for Judicial Review granted by region in 2012 (includes renewed applications) 
			  Birmingham Cardiff Leeds London Manchester UTIAC Grand total 
			 Judicial Review Civil 96 23 69 894 94 99 1,275 
			 Judicial Review Criminal 6 3 5 88 1 0 103 
			 Grand total 102 26 74 982 95 99 1,378 
		
	
	
		
			 213 (b) (ii) 
			 Applications for Judicial Review refused by region in 2012 (includes renewed applications) 
			  Birmingham Cardiff Leeds London Manchester UTIAC Grand total 
			 Judicial Review Civil 332 117 282 5,662 372 500 7,265 
			 Judicial Review Criminal 20 18 16 239 19 0 312 
			 Grand total 352 135 298 5,901 391 500 7,577 
		
	
	
		
			 214 (b) 
			 Judicial Reviews allowed following substantive hearing each year since 2000 
			  2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Judicial Review Civil 659 452 130 143 111 104 96 133 168 161 164 142 124 
		
	
	
		
			 Judicial Review Criminal 106 53 30 42 43 29 38 29 31 33 32 33 41 
			 Grand total 765 505 160 185 154 133 134 162 199 194 196 175 165 
			 Note: Only two years of statistics are available in answer to the questions which request data by area, as the Administrative Court Regional Offices were only established in 2010.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 17 December 2012 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr G Spring.

Helen Grant: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), replied to this letter on 28 January 2013.

National Archives

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the contents are of each of the files at the National Archives that remain closed beyond the 30 Year Rule as a consequence of the application of an exemption under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 by a Minister of the Crown.

Helen Grant: The National Archives currently holds 118,759 files that are closed to public access and more than 30 years old. These records can be requested under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
	Due to the number of closed files it is not possible to provide details of the contents of each of these. However all closed records appear on the National Archives' online catalogue at:
	www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/Discovery
	and are searchable by a variety of criteria including keywords in each record's title or description, the date of the record or the body that created it.

UK Membership of EU

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what contingency plans his Department (a) has made, (b) is making and (c) plans to make for UK withdrawal from the EU; whether those plans will be published; and what estimate he has made of the likely cost of implementing those plans.

Helen Grant: The Department has not made any plans for the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Art Works: Loans

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many individuals have accessed the interest-free loan offered by the Own Art Scheme since its inception.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 24 January 2013
	The Own Art Scheme is operated at arm's length from Government by Arts Council England (ACE), and its subsidiary, ArtCo Trading Ltd. However, the Arts Council have provided my Department with the following figures. A total of 28,039 Own Art loans have been taken out by customers during the period from 1 April 2004 to 31 December 2012.

ArtCo Trading

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Arts Council England has paid to ArtCo Trading Ltd in each year since that company's inception.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 24 January 2013
	This is a matter for Arts Council England (ACE) which operates at arm's length from Government. However, the Arts Council have provided my Department with the following figures:
	
		
			 ArtCo Trading Ltd 
			  Programmes funded Income received from DCMS (Arts Council England) (£) 
			 2004-05 Own Art 258,700.00 
			 2005-06 Own Art 250,000.00 
			 2006-07 Own Art 258,000.00 
			 2007-08 Own Art & Take it away 991,000.00 
			 2008-09 Own Art & Take it away 1,000,000.00 
			 2009-10 Own Art & Take it away 1,000,000.00 
			 2010-11 Own Art & Take it away 1,000,000.00 
			 2011-12 Own Art & Take it away 725,000.00 
			 2012-13 Own Art, Take it away & Creative Industry Finance 1,285,000.00

Arts

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of total Government spending is allocated to the arts, cultural and heritage sectors.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 28 January 2013
	In 2011-12 the proportion of total Government spending allocated to the arts, cultural and heritage sectors was 2%, the same level as in 2009-10:
	£14 billion of £642.7 billion in 2009-10 = 2.1783%
	£13.3 billion of £665.1 billion in 2011-12 = 1.9999%
	Answer based on table 8 of this:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/pesa2011_chapter5.xlsx
	row 8, in relation to recreation, culture and religion.

Arts: Brigg

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people have been employed in the creative industries in Brigg and Goole constituency in each of the last five years.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 30 January 2013
	DCMS produces data on creative industries employment through its Creative Industries Economic Estimates at a national level. Data on employment only goes back as far as 2009 on a consistent basis (due to the change in the underlying industrial classification used by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and also due to definitional changes in 2009). In 2010 around 1.5 million people were employed in the creative industries.

BBC Radio

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has made to the BBC Trust on ensuring sufficient competition between in-house and independent producers for the production of BBC radio programming.

Edward Vaizey: This is a matter for the BBC Trust in line with the BBC Agreement.

Copyright

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she plans to make the draft regulations for modernising copyright available for public scrutiny.

Jo Swinson: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	In the Government response to consultation on copyright exceptions “Modernising Copyright: A modern, robust and flexible framework” Government set out its intention to bring measures in to force in October 2013. Draft regulations will be published for technical review ahead of this time. Copies of the Government response on copyright exceptions have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Copyright

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many statutory instruments she plans to use to introduce the proposals set out in her Department's publication, Modernising Copyright: A modern, robust and flexible framework.

Jo Swinson: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	As stated in response to consultation on copyright exceptions “Modernising Copyright: A modern, robust and flexible framework” the Government intends to introduce measures in the smallest possible number of statutory instruments. However, in the recent committee stage debate of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill the Minister for Intellectual Property, my noble Friend Viscount Younger of Leckie committed to look at how statutory instruments can be structured, when they are brought to Parliament, to ensure that there is adequate time for parliamentary scrutiny and debate. Copies of the Government response on copyright exceptions have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Copyright

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to her proposals for Modernising Copyright, what definition she will adopt for caricature and pastiche.

Jo Swinson: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	On 21 December 2012 the Government announced its proposals for Modernising Copyright. This included a commitment to bring forward secondary legislation to introduce a new exception into UK copyright law for the purposes of parody, caricature and pastiche.
	My intention is to publish the draft legislation for technical review by interested parties this spring. In line with other terms in UK law one option would be to use the terms as set out in the EU Directive number 2001/29/EC and allow the Courts to interpret the ordinary meaning of the words.

Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press Inquiry

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to paragraph 83 of the summary of recommendations in Lord Justice Leveson's report on The Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press, what steps her Department has taken to comply with the recommendations set out in that paragraph.

Edward Vaizey: The Government already publishes, on a quarterly basis, information about meetings between Ministers, permanent secretaries, special advisers and media proprietors, editors and senior executives. Cross-party talks about Lord Justice Leveson's recommendations, including the implementation of recommendations at paragraph 83 for Government Ministers and Front Bench Opposition spokesmen, are ongoing.

Culture: Voluntary Work

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people volunteered in (a) theatres, (b) museums, (c) art galleries and (d) national heritage sites in (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10, (iii) 2010-11 and (iv) 2011-12.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 24 January 2013
	The information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Number and percentage who have volunteered in the last 12 months, adults in England 
			  Arts Museum/Gallery Heritage 
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
			 2008-09 663,000 6.4 118,000 1.1 488,000 4.7 
			 2009-10 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2010-11 825,000 8.1 140,000 1.4 426,000 4.2 
			 2011-12 884,000 8.9 160,000 1.6 556,000 5.6 
			 Note: Data not collected in 2009-10. Source: DCMS Taking Part survey.

Internet: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will estimate the number of (a) people with low incomes and (b) pensioners in (i) Scotland and (ii) Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency who do not have internet access in their homes.

Edward Vaizey: Ofcom's Communications Infrastructure Report 2012 states that current generation broadband is available in close to 100% of UK premises. Ofcom estimates around 1.7% of premises in Scotland (1.3% for the whole UK) are in potential broadband not-spots, although users in areas without fixed line connectivity may still have access via technologies like satellite and mobile services.
	Ofcom estimates that take-up—as opposed to availability—of fixed access broadband was 66.9% in Scotland and 63.5% in East Ayrshire. Data at a constituency level is not available.
	Additionally, the Office for National Statistics' latest internet access quarterly update states that the percentage of adults who have ever used the internet is 84.1% in Scotland, and 82.4% in East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire mainland.

Music: Young People

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many children and young people are involved in youth music in each region of England.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 24 January 2013
	My Department's Taking Part survey provides data on participation on cultural and sporting activities in England. The following information shows numbers of children and young people who engaged in music activities in 2011-12:
	
		
			 Whether done any music activities in last 12 months 
			  Five to 10-year-olds 11 to 15-year-olds 
			 2011-12 Number Percentage Number Percentage 
			 North East 53,000 32.5 115,000 78.3 
			 North West 158,000 34.3 315,000 77.2 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 141,000 40.9 233,000 76.3 
			 East Midlands 103,000 35.6 191,000 73.3 
			 West Midlands 124,000 33.0 249,000 75.3 
			 East of England 193,000 49.0 273,000 78.5 
			 London 217,000 39.7 251,000 61.7 
			 South East 280,000 48.7 456,000 88.9 
			 South West 151,000 46.1 259,000 84.8 
			 Notes: 1. Data for five to 10-year-olds relate to out of school activities only. 2. Data for 11 to 15-years-olds relate to activities undertaken both in and out of school. Source: Taking Part child survey

EDUCATION

Arts

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which subjects his Department defines as creative subjects.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department does not define which subjects are considered to be creative subjects. Pupils can be provided with the opportunity to develop their creativity across all the curriculum subjects. It is for teachers to choose when and how they engage their pupils' creativity as part of their lesson planning.

Bullying

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2013, Official Report, column 326W, on bullying, 
	(1)  on what dates the alleged incidents took place;
	(2)  whether any of the alleged bullying incidents were in relation to complaints made against special advisers;
	(3)  what disciplinary action was taken in relation to the alleged instances of bullying.

Elizabeth Truss: The details and outcome in each of the 12 cases considered by Human Resources cannot be disclosed on the grounds of confidentiality.

Cabinet

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2013, Official Report, column 18W, on Cabinet, for what reasons he did not attend meetings of the Cabinet on three occasions in the last 12 months.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 31 January 2013
	The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), was unable to attend three Cabinet meetings. On two occasions, this was due to overseas visits on official business. On one of the occasions he was required to provide evidence at a Select Committee hearing.

Chequers

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 15 January, Official Report, column 731W, on Chequers, for what purpose he undertook a visit to Chequers in an official capacity; and whether his visit included an overnight stay.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 1 February 2013
	The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), visited Chequers for an official ministerial meeting. It is longstanding Government practice not to provide further details of such meetings. The visit did not include an overnight stay.

Children: Day Care

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what information his Department holds on the cost of 25 hours of child care in (a) Hounslow, (b) London, (c) each region and (d) the UK.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 31 January 2013
	The Department's Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on the average hourly fees charged by registered full day care and sessional child care providers and childminders. Table 1 provides figures for England and by Government office region for 2010, the latest year that this information is available. Estimates for Hounslow and the UK are not available.
	
		
			 Table 1: Average (mean) hourly fee charged by Government office region (2010) 
			 £ 
			  Full day care Sessional Childminders 
			 Overall mean average hourly fee 3.70 3.00 3.80 
			 East Midlands (1)3.20 (1)2.80 (1)3.20 
			 East 3.60 3.10 4.00 
			 London 4.70 (1)3.60 4.70 
			 North East (1)— (1)— (2)3.30 
			 Yorkshire & Humberside (1)3.50 (1)2.80 3.30 
			 North West 3.50 (1)2.50 (1)3.30 
			 South East 3.80 3.60 4.10 
			 South West 3.60 (1)2.80 3.70 
			 West Midlands 3.30 (1)2.60 (1)3.30 
			 (1) Signifies a cell where data should be treated with caution due to a low base size. (2 )The North East and Yorkshire & Humberside were considered as a single region for childminders, so these figures represent the combined average for those regions. Source: Childcare and Early Years Provider Survey 2010.

Children's Centres: Newcastle upon Tyne

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what Sure Start provision there is in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne; and what assessment he has made of the quality of provision in each Sure Start centre in that city.

Elizabeth Truss: Newcastle city council's entry to the Sure Start-On database shows that the council has 18 children's centres. This number is unchanged since April 2010.
	Ofsted has inspected 10 of the 18 children's centres. Two centres were judged to be outstanding. The remaining eight centres were judged to be good.

GCSE

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of (a) high achieving pupils, (b) middle achieving pupils, (c) low achieving pupils and (d) all pupils at KS2 achieved five or more A* to C grade GCSEs, including English and mathematics, in the latest year for which figures are available.

Elizabeth Truss: The requested information is available from our recent statistical first release (SFR) ‘GCSE and Equivalent Results in England, 2011/12 (Revised)’:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/statistics/allstatistics/a00219173/gcse-and-equivalent-results
	Please see the second link under “Downloads”.
	Table 6a shows the percentage of low, middle and high achieving pupils and Table 5a shows the percentage of all pupils achieving five or more A* to C GCSEs or equivalent including English and mathematics GCSEs.

GCSE: Birmingham

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of pupils in state schools in (a) Birmingham, Erdington constituency and (b) Birmingham achieved five GCSE passes including mathematics and English in each of the last five years.

Elizabeth Truss: Information on the percentage of pupils in state-funded schools in Birmingham, Erdington constituency and Birmingham local authority achieving five or more GCSEs at grade A* to G or equivalent including English and mathematics GCSEs (or iGCSEs) can be found in the following table.
	
		
			 Percentage of pupils(1,2) at the end of Key Stage 4 (KS4) achieving 5+ GCSEs at grade A*-G or equivalent including English and mathematics GCSEs(3,4) in Birmingham, Erdington constituency and Birmingham local authority(5), years: 2007/08 to 2011/12(6) 
			  2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 
			  No. of pupils at the end of KS4 % gaining 5+ GCSEs at A*-G inc English and maths No. of pupils at the end of KS4 % gaining 5+ GCSEs at A*-G inc English and maths No. of pupils at the end of KS4 % gaining 5+ GCSEs at A*-G inc English and maths No. of pupils at the end of KS4 % gaining 5+ GCSEs at A*-G inc English and maths No. of pupils at the end of KS4 % gaining 5+ GCSEs at A*-G inc English and maths 
			 Birmingham 12,655 89.9 12,292 91.4 12,313 92.9 12,159 94.0 12,281 93.7 
			 Birmingham, Erdington 921 79.9 808 84.3 828 87.3 797 90.6 843 89.9 
			 (1) Figures do not include pupils recently arrived from overseas. (2) Figures include all state-funded schools (including CTCs and academies). (3) From 2009/10 iGCSEs, accredited at time of publication, have been counted as GCSE equivalents and also as English and mathematics GCSEs. (4) Including attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years. (5) Parliamentary constituency figures are based on the postcode of the school. Local authority figures are based on the local authority maintaining the school, or in the case of CTCs and Academies, the local authority in which the school is situated. (6) Figures for 2007/08 to 2010/11 are based on final data, figures for 2011/12 are based on revised data. Source: National Pupil Database (2007/08 to 2010/11) and Key. Stage 4 attainment data (2011/12)

Information Commissioner

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how much his Department has spent on appealing decisions made by the Information Commissioner since May 2010;
	(2)  when he plans to answer parliamentary question 126665, tabled on 31 October 2012 for answer on 2 November 2012.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 28 January 2013
	The Department has appealed against five decisions made by the Information Commissioner since May 2010. Three of these were joined and heard together, and the Department subsequently withdrew its appeal on the remaining two.
	The Department has spent £6,865.20 on the three joined cases and has respectively paid £4,317.30 and £7,664.50 to the Treasury Solicitor's Department in charges for external legal advice and litigation services on the withdrawn cases.
	The costs are not unusually high. For instance, one appeal to the Information Commissioner during the previous Government cost the Department more than £80,000.

Schools: Construction

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the written ministerial statement on the Priority School Building Programme, published on 24 May 2012, which schools under that programme (a) have started rebuilding and construction, (b) are scheduled to start rebuilding and construction by 31 December 2013 and (c) will not be starting rebuilding and construction until after 31 December 2013.

Elizabeth Truss: On 24 May 2012, the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), confirmed that 261 schools will be rebuilt, or have their condition needs met through the Priority School Building Programme (PSBP).
	The programme will be delivered by grouping schools together into “batches”. The process to group the schools has taken into account a number of factors including condition, geography and commercial viability i.e. ensuring that there will be a strong competition for the work which will deliver value for money for the public purse. As far as possible, the needs of the schools in the worst condition will be addressed first.
	This is a significant programme of rebuilding and it will be delivered over a number of years.
	The DFE is already working with the schools who we expect to form the first 11 batches. For the first two batches of schools, the business cases have been prepared and approved, contractors have prepared tenders and the DFE has evaluated these tenders and selected the contractors who will undertake the works. Planning applications will be submitted in the next few weeks and construction work will start in the summer.
	At present we can only estimate the number of schools that are scheduled to start construction by 31 December 2013 and therefore those that will start construction after 31 December 2013. There are a number of factors that influence this including changes that have been requested locally to the capacity of schools, existing site conditions and constraints and how contractors will schedule their works to deliver best value for money.
	We plan to have approximately 20 to 25 projects on site by the end of this year and a large number of procurements for other schools in progress.

Schools: Voluntary Work

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to encourage volunteering in schools.

Elizabeth Truss: While volunteers such as parents should not replace school staff, we welcome the huge commitment volunteers give to schools in England. That is one reason why this Government is scaling back criminal records checking to common sense levels. Individuals should no longer face excessive red tape when offering to volunteer in schools.
	In particular, changes will take place so that volunteers will benefit from a new updating service where they present a single criminal records check to any number of organisations, who simply verify online that it remains up-to-date. This will avoid the need to apply for multiple checks to work with different organisations. In addition, schools will not do barred list checks on supervised volunteers. The Disclosure and Barring Service does not charge a fee for criminal records checks for volunteers, and will not charge a fee for the updating service for volunteers. These moves will cut red- tape and reduce the burden on those who give up their time to volunteer with children.
	We are also helping schools recruit skilled people as governors by continuing to fund the School Governors' One-Stop Shop which recruits candidates from the business world and brokers their placement into governing bodies that need them.

Visits Abroad

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2013, Official Report, column 44W, on visits abroad, if he will provide a breakdown of the total cost of the three overseas visits he has undertaken on official Government business in the last 12 months.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 31 January 2013
	All costs for overseas visits are published on the Department's website as part of the transparency commitment:
	http://tinyurl.com/bfgaw7o

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Burglary

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many cases of burglary have been referred by police forces in England and Wales to the Crown Prosecution Service for a charging decision in each of the last five years.

Dominic Grieve: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to her on 28 January 2013, Official Report, column 547W.

Conspiracy and Protection of Property Act 1875

Tom Watson: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions have been brought under the Conspiracy and Protection of Property Act 1875 in the last 30 years.

Oliver Heald: During the last seven complete financial years for which Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) offence data are held, there are no records of a prosecution under the Conspiracy and Protection of Property Act 1875. The CPS does not maintain a central record of offences prosecuted prior to the financial year 2005-06.

Human Trafficking

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2012, Official Report, columns 156-7, how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions for human trafficking there have been in each of the last three years; and where that information is publicly recorded.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) collects data to assist in the effective management of its prosecution functions; it does not collect data which constitutes official statistics as defined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.
	Since April 2010, all CPS areas are required to place an electronic flag on the CPS Case Management System (CMS) from the pre-charge stage for all cases of human trafficking. This includes all cases which have commenced as a human trafficking charge but then proceed to prosecution on a different charge or result in a conviction for a different offence, and 64 cases where human trafficking was the main offence. These cases were not recorded separately as my earlier answer suggested. This will be recorded in the CPS Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) annual report. The following table shows the number and outcome of cases flagged as human trafficking for the last three years to date.
	
		
			 CPS: Human trafficking flagged prosecutions 
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13(1) 
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
			 Convictions 73 70.9 94 66.2 78 70.3 
			 Unsuccessful 30 29.1 48 33.8 33 29.7 
			 Total 103 — 142 — 111 — 
			 (1) 1 April 2012 to 7 January 2013 Notes: 1. Convictions comprise guilty pleas, convictions after trial and proceedings which are proved in absence. 2. Unsuccessful outcomes comprise prosecutions dropped, administrative finalisations, discharged committals and cases acquitted or dismissed following a contested hearing.

Minimum Wage: Prosecutions

Chris Bryant: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions were successfully carried out for failure to abide by national minimum wage legislation in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012.

Dominic Grieve: Based on data held centrally by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) together with information provided by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), which has responsibility for enforcing the law in relation to the national minimum wage (NMW), no prosecutions for relevant offences were completed in either 2011 or 2012 and thus no convictions are recorded for these years. There is currently one live prosecution which awaits trial and is sub judice.

Travel and Subsistence Payments

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Attorney-General 
	(1)  how many senior officials in the Law Officers' Departments arm's-length bodies (a) have and (b) have had during 2012-13 terms of employment that specify that their main place of employment is their home address and that they are entitled to claim travel and subsistence expenses for visiting the offices of the arm's-length body;
	(2)  how many chairs in the Law Officers' Departments arm's-length bodies are paid on the basis that they are exempt from personally meeting any tax liability in respect of travel and subsistence payments for attending meetings at the offices of the arm's-length body;
	(3)  how many senior officials of the Law Officers' Departments arm's-length bodies are paid on the basis that they are exempt from personally meeting any tax liability in respect of travel and subsistence payments for attending meetings at the offices of the arm's-length body.

Oliver Heald: The Law Officers' Departments are not responsible for any arm’s length bodies.

TRANSPORT

A1: North Yorkshire

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how much his Department has spent on compulsory reacquisition of land needed for the A1 Leeming to Barton upgrade since the Government's decision to reinstate that project;
	(2)  how much his Department had spent on preliminary plans for the A1 Leeming to Barton upgrade prior to the decision to end the project following the 2010 comprehensive spending review;
	(3)  how much his Department has spent on (a) costs for design, (b) public consultation and (c) the purchase of properties and land for the A1 Leeming to Barton upgrade to date;
	(4)  how much of the funding allocated for the A1 Leeming to Barton upgrade will be spent on (a) construction costs and (b) property management;
	(5)  how much his Department has spent on the retendering process following the Government's decision to reinstate the A1 Leeming to Barton upgrade;
	(6)  how much his Department has spent on preliminary plans to upgrade the A1 Leeming to Barton following its decision to reinstate the project.

Stephen Hammond: The Highways Agency has not acquired any land for the A1 Leeming to Barton scheme since the project was reinstated.
	The amount spent on preliminary plans for the A1 Leeming to Barton scheme prior to the decision to cancel the project in 2010 was £19 million.
	To date, the Highways Agency has spent:
	(a) £12.3 million on developing the section of the A1 between Leeming to Barton.
	(b) £199,000 on public consultation. These costs were incurred when the Leeming to Barton section was part of the wider A1 Dishforth to Barton upgrade.
	(c) £4 million on the purchase of property and land between Leeming and Barton.
	The current expected construction cost, based on the last approved estimate for the A1 Leeming to Barton upgrade is £206 million. This cost will be refined as design progresses.
	None of the funding allocated for the A1 Leeming to Barton upgrade will be spent on property management as those costs are not set against the project. The HA manages its property as a portfolio to achieve the most efficient and cost effective contract.
	The agency has not incurred retendering costs as a consequence of the project's reinstatement. An Early Contractor Involvement contract was awarded in 2004 for the A1 Dishforth to Barton upgrade. Although the contractor was instructed to suspend work on the Leeming to Barton section after the 2010 spending review announcement, the contract remained as work continued on the Dishforth to Leeming section. Following the autumn statement in 2012, 5 December 2012, Official Report, columns 871-82, the contractor was instructed to recommence work on the Leeming to Barton section.
	Costs expended on developing A1 Leeming to Barton since the autumn statement in December 2012 are £220,000.

Biofuels

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the sustainability of (a) palm oil, (b) jatropha and (c) other biofuel liquids.

Norman Baker: The UK implemented the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) and introduced mandatory sustainability criteria into the RTFO in December 2011. Since then all biofuels, regardless of feedstock and including those made from palm oil, have had to meet these mandatory sustainability criteria in order to be counted towards meeting the target in the RED and to receive reward under the RTFO scheme.
	In respect of the total biofuel(1) reported under the RTFO, verified data for obligation years 2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11 suggests that 46%, 51%, and 57% greenhouse gas savings compared to fossil fuels were achieved respectively in each year. For 2011/12 provisional figures suggest 62% savings from April to December 2011 and 63% savings from December 2011 to April 2012. These figures, including those for fuel supplied post 15 December 2011, exclude emissions from indirect land use change (ILUC). This Government has been clear that biofuels must lead to a worthwhile reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and be sustainable. For this to happen it is imperative that ILUC is properly addressed, which needs to be done at EU level.
	In 2008/09 a total of 127 million litres of biodiesel derived from palm oil was reported by suppliers, in 2009/10 99 million litres, in 2010/11 35 million litres and in 2011/12 550,000 litres. As a proportion of overall supply of biofuels in the UK, this represents 10%, 6%, 2% and 0.1% respectively in each of these years. No biodiesel produced from jatropha was reported.
	The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) has been in operation since 2008. Statistics covering the volume of biofuel supplied by feedstock and country of origin are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-transport/series/biofuels-statistics
	(1) The volume of biogas reported in these years was minimal and accounts for less than 1%.

Buses: First Aid

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what requirements the Government has put in place for the provision of (a) first aid kits and (b) first aid facilitation on public buses carrying out domestic services in the UK.

Norman Baker: There is no requirement for first aid kits to be carried on local service buses. There are provisions in the Public Service Vehicles (Conditions of Fitness, Equipment, Use and Certification) for first aid kits to be carried on longer distance services.
	Although there are no specific regulations on the facilitation of first aid, since September 2008 all professional bus and coach drivers have been required to hold a Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) and undertake 35 hours of periodic training every five years as a requirement of EU Directive 2003/59. While the EU directive does not stipulate that there should be any compulsory aspect to periodic training, first aid training courses for drivers are widely available as part of the periodic Certificate of Professional Competence training syllabus.

Car Tax

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate how many foreign vehicles that have been in the country for more than six months are not registered for UK road tax.

Stephen Hammond: It is not possible to estimate how many foreign vehicles have been in the country for more than six months as records are not kept of foreign registered vehicles entering or leaving the UK. I am aware of unofficial estimates in circulation, but DVLA is unable to confirm these figures.

Car Tax

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he plans to take to ensure that foreign vehicles pay road tax after being in the UK for more than six months.

Stephen Hammond: Current enforcement around foreign registered vehicles is carried out in a proportionate way focusing on those seen as hardened evaders. It is for the keeper of the vehicle to prove that the vehicle has been in the UK for less than six months. Abuse of the system is considered to be low but this position is kept under review. To have foreign registered vehicles staying in the UK for more than six months has implications for both road safety and tax revenue, and so I am keen that we continue enforcing this.

Durham Tees Valley Airport

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give support to Durham Tees Valley airport's bid for round four regional growth fund funding.

Simon Burns: Round 4 of the Regional Growth Fund was announced on 17 January. The fund is a competitive process and all bids are assessed against the set criteria to lever private sector investment to create economic growth and sustainable employment. Successful bids will be announced in the summer.
	Any bid by Durham Tees Valley airport will be assessed along the lines set out.

Great Western Railway Line

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received from the Mayor of Bristol, the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership and the Severn Side Rail Partnership, on the future of the Great Western Rail franchise.

Simon Burns: I welcome the contributions of the Severnside Rail Partnership and West of England Local Enterprise Partnership, who have both been active participants in the recently terminated GW refranchising competition; and responded to the consultation which took place as part of that process. The Severnside Rail Partnership also made representations to my predecessor in support of retaining through services from London to Weston Super Mare, and have since expressed views on other priorities for the franchise.
	The West of England Local Enterprise Partnership has requested a meeting with senior officials as the Department which has been arranged for 12 February 2013.
	We are in regular dialogue with the Severnside Rail Partnership and understand they were due to meet the Mayor of Bristol on 1 February 2013. We have yet to receive representations directly from the new Mayor, but would welcome his input.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the economic benefit of High Speed 2 in West Cumbria.

Simon Burns: Phase Two of High Speed 2 will transform journey times, capacity and connectivity between major cities of the north, Midlands and London enabling northern regions to fulfil their economic potential. Journey time improvements will be possible from new classic-compatible high speed trains serving Cumbria. HS2 will also free up space for additional commuter, regional and freight services on the West Coast Mainline offering more opportunity for services to meet local needs. Latest estimates published in August 2012 suggest HS2 will deliver net benefits of £64 billion including over £15 billion in wider economic impacts. If local areas seize the opportunity offered by HS2 these benefits could be greater, HS2 Ltd will undertake further work to assess the sub-national, regional and local economic impacts of HS2.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the cost to taxpayers of the compensation payments for the construction of phase two of High Speed 2.

Simon Burns: We do not offer precise predictions of the costs of the compensation schemes for Phase Two of HS2. This is because the number of property owners who may seek compensation, the circumstances of the properties which the Government might purchase, and the precise costs of properties (especially if they are bought some time in the future) are not within the Department's control. We would not want to imply that the budget is cash-limited and that this would affect our willingness to purchase properties.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many homes in Stafford constituency will be demolished during the construction of phase two of High Speed 2.

Simon Burns: According to a January 2013 check of geographical data by HS2 Ltd, five homes in Stafford constituency would be demolished during construction of Phase Two of HS2.
	However, more work will be undertaken to refine the alignment and include mitigation. Therefore, the potential impacts may change as designs are progressed. In particular, the advice received during later public consultation will be fundamental to the final scheme design.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect on land and property values in Stafford constituency as a result of the proposed route of High Speed 2.

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect on land and property values in Tamworth constituency as a result of the High Speed 2 extension to Leeds.

Simon Burns: The Department has not undertaken a specific assessment the effect that the initial preferred route for Phase Two would have on land and property values in the Stafford or Tamworth constituencies.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the number of properties in (a) Warrington and (b) Warrington North which will be affected by the proposed route for High Speed 2.

Simon Burns: If the line is built along the initial preferred route, then in the Warrington North constituency area 21 properties would be demolished, of which four are residential. A further three properties would be at risk of demolition.
	In the Warrington South constituency area three residential properties would be demolished. We have no estimate of the number of properties which may be affected in other ways.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the potential economic benefits of the proposed High Speed 2 extension to Leeds to (a) individuals and (b) businesses in Tamworth.

Simon Burns: Phase Two of High Speed 2 will transform journey times, capacity and connectivity between major cities of the north, midlands and London, enabling northern regions to fulfil their economic potential.
	HS2 will also free up space for additional commuter, regional and freight services on the West Coast Mainline offering more opportunity for services to meet local needs. Latest estimates published in August 2012 suggest HS2 will deliver net benefits of £64 billion, including over £15 billion in wider economic impacts. If local areas seize the opportunity offered by HS2 these benefits could be greater. HS2 Ltd will undertake further work to assess the sub-national, regional and local economic impacts of HS2.
	We will deliver a fair deal for people whose homes, land or businesses will be affected by construction by continuing to offer a generous compensation package and investing millions in tunnels and other mitigation measures.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of jobs that will be created in each city along the proposed route of High Speed 2 as a result of that project.

Simon Burns: Initial work on the potentially significant opportunities offered by HS2 indicates that Phase Two of the scheme would be expected to support some 49,700 jobs.
	On the western leg to Manchester, the proposed terminus station at Manchester Piccadilly is predicted to support an estimated 29,700 jobs and the proposed interchange station at Manchester airport would support an estimated 300 jobs.
	On the eastern leg to Leeds, it is estimated that the Leeds New Lane station could support an estimated 13,200 jobs; the East Midlands Hub could support an estimated 1,500 jobs, while Sheffield Meadowhall station could support an estimated 5,000 jobs.
	Further details can be found in the Sustainability Summary document published on 28 January and placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether compensation arrangements set up for phase 2 of High Speed 2 will be made under the terms of the (a) Compulsory Purchase Act 1965, (b) Land Compensation Act 1973 and (c) Acquisition of Land Act 1981.

Simon Burns: At present we are proposing an exceptional hardship scheme for Phase Two. This would be a discretionary scheme, making compensation available beyond the requirements of statute, though not replacing any statutory entitlement. At a later stage, following a decision on the final route and if the Secretary of State decided to use compulsory powers to acquire land, the normal statutory provisions for the assessment and payment of compensation would apply.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what basis his Department will compensate those affected by the proposed High Speed 2 extension to Leeds; when he anticipates compensation will be paid; and which valuations will be used to decide on the amount of such compensation.

Simon Burns: The Government has announced a public consultation on the proposed Exceptional Hardship Scheme (EHS) for Phase Two of HS2. The consultation document includes the details of the Government's proposals and is available on the HS2 Ltd website at:
	http://www.hs2.org.uk/have-your-say/consultations/phase-two
	The consultation will close on 29 April 2013. The Exceptional Hardship Scheme would be an interim scheme, to remain in place only until such time as the statutory blight provisions apply to properties affected by Phase Two or we introduce a wider package of discretionary measures broadly consistent with those for Phase One. At a later stage, following a decision on the final route, and if the Secretary of State decided to use compulsory purchase powers to acquire land, the normal statutory provisions for the assessment and payment of compensation would apply.

Large Goods Vehicles

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to introduce a free dated road disc for goods vehicles registered abroad that would expire six months after entry to the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: There are no plans to introduce the policy as stated.
	Directive 83/182/EEC allows EU citizens visiting another member state in their own vehicle temporary immunity from duties during the period of their stay. There is no requirement therefore to issue visitors with a tax disc notifying the authorities of their status.
	Under the 1975 International Circulation order, foreign citizens visiting the UK may drive on their foreign licences for up to 12 months as a visitor without needing to exchange their licences. There are no other administrative requirements to this law.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to ensure that foreign vehicles are registered with the DVLA after being in the country for six months.

Stephen Hammond: Information about when vehicles need to be registered and licensed is published at:
	www.gov.uk
	The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency maintains a record of foreign registered vehicles reported by members of the public, the police or local authorities. Evidence that a vehicle has been in the UK for more than six months, may result in enforcement action. This can include the wheel clamping and impounding of the vehicle. The onus is on the keeper of the vehicle to prove that it has been in the country for less than six months; I am keen that we continue enforcing this.

Public Transport

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which external organisations he has met to discuss Access for All measures to provide easier access for older or disabled passengers and those with small children.

Norman Baker: Ministerial colleagues and I have discussed the programme with a variety of industry and disability organisations as part of broader meetings and events, in particular during the development of the Department's Accessibility Action Plan which involved engagement with a large number of organisations representing people with disabilities at meetings I chaired.
	In addition, Officials from the Department regularly meet representatives from the rail industry, local authorities and disability groups about the programme.

Public Transport

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to increase access to transport for older or disabled passengers and those with small children.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has recently published an Accessibility Action Plan (‘Transport for Everyone’) which outlines the measures the Department is planning to implement to increase access to public transport, including for older and disabled people and those with small children. The Plan is intended to improve customer experience and build on the legacy of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. At the heart of the Plan is the importance of improving physical accessibility, providing better information for the traveller, and improving attitudes and behaviour, especially towards disabled passengers. Some of the specific measures in the Plan, aimed at older and disabled people, include reducing conflict in shared space areas on buses by improving signage, ensuring buses and trains comply with accessibility regulations, providing additional funding for the Access for All programme for rail stations, and developing an accessible journey planner. The action plan is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/accessibility-action-plan

Public Transport: Disability

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many complaints his Department received regarding assisted travel bookings for blind, partially-sighted and disabled people on (a) trains, (b) coaches and (c) aeroplanes in (i) 2012, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2010, (iv) 2009 and (v) 2008;
	(2)  how many complaints his Department received regarding access to transport for blind, partially-sighted and disabled people in (a) 2012, (b) 2011, (c) 2010, (d) 2009 and (e) 2008.

Norman Baker: I am afraid that the answers to these questions can only be answered at disproportionate cost.

Public Transport: Disability

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many disabled people booked assisted travel on (a) trains, (b) coaches and (c) aeroplanes in (i) 2012, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2010, (iv) 2009 and (v) 2008.

Norman Baker: This information requested is not held centrally.

Railways: Fares

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy not to introduce a high peak fare as set out in his Department's publication Rail Fares and Ticket Review: Initial Consultation, published in March 2012.

Norman Baker: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given by the Secretary of State for Transport on 17 January 2013 to the Hon Member for Nottingham South (Lilian Greenwood) [Official Report, Column 1004].

Railways: Fares

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the Rail Fares and Ticketing Review: Initial Consultation, published in March 2012, what recent discussions his Department has had with train operating companies about proposals to introduce a new high-peak fare.

Norman Baker: Ministers and officials meet regularly with the Association of Train Operating Companies to discuss current issues, including the range of proposals on rail fares and ticketing set out in our March 2012 consultation document.

Skinningrove Jetty

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department will have discussions with Redcar and Cleveland borough council about improving the safety of Skinningrove Jetty.

Norman Baker: The safety of Skinningrove Jetty is the responsibility of Redcar and Cleveland borough council, who are discussing its future with the local community.

Waterloo Station

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress his Department has made on re-opening the platforms at the former Waterloo International Terminal for domestic commuter services; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Government is committed to bringing the former International platforms at Waterloo station into domestic use, commencing with platform 20 being brought back into use by 2014 to assist South West Trains in delivering additional capacity into this busy station. In advance of this, work to refurbish the roof is already under way.
	With regard to the other four former international platforms, previous plans to bring these back into use have now been subject to detailed evaluation which has shown them to be too short-term in respect of the efficient overall expansion of Waterloo station. A more comprehensive and longer term plan is required. On 16 July 2012 the Secretary of State published the High Level Output Specification (HLOS), which included recognition that major works are likely to be required at London Waterloo and made provision for this as part of a wider rail strategy for Control Period 5 (2014-19).
	Network Rail published its Strategic Business Plan (SBP) in January 2013 setting out how the rail industry proposes to deliver the Government's HLOS rail strategy for 2014-19. The SBP proposes a £300 million investment to increase capacity into London Waterloo in CP5 as part of a longer term enhancement programme that will deliver significant capacity improvements into CP6 and beyond. During CP5, improvements will focus on suburban routes into London with platform extensions to accommodate longer 10 car trains and the integration of the former Waterloo International Terminal and its platforms to increase capacity within the station.
	The independent Office of Rail Regulation will review the SBP during the spring and publish its draft findings for public consultation in June 2013. It will take account of responses and then publish its final determination, setting out, among other matters, what enhancements Network Rail is required to provide and what funds it is to be provided with for this purpose.
	The Department for Transport is committed to making sure the industry is making best use of Government-funded investment.

West Coast Railway Line

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the economic effects of the upgraded West Coast Mainline on Warrington.

Simon Burns: It is the Department's intention to carry out a review into the effects of the West Coast Main Line upgrade in due course, when a sufficient number of years' data is available to enable meaningful analysis.

West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures and safeguards his Department will put in place to ensure that a situation like the collapse of the West Coast Mainline franchise deal never occurs again.

Simon Burns: The Department has set out steps to take in response to the Laidlaw inquiry which can be found here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/response-to-the-report-of-the-laidlaw-inquiry
	Mr Laidlaw's detailed recommendations deserve, and are getting, careful consideration, and the Secretary of State for Transport will be making a further statement on the future of the franchising programme and policy in the spring.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many contracts have been signed regarding the logistical withdrawal of equipment from Afghanistan to date; and with whom.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 31 January 2013
	Redeployment of equipment from Afghanistan began in earnest and as planned on 1 October 2012. Records show that since this date we have not placed any new contracts specifically relating to redeployment, though we have amended an existing Seafast contract which provides a weekly freight forwarding capability out of and into Afghanistan.

Afghanistan

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many agreements have been reached with national governments regarding the logistical withdrawal of equipment from Afghanistan.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 31 January 2013
	We have a substantial number of extant agreements with allies in Europe and the middle east, which are utilised to allow movement into and out of Afghanistan through the use of established transit routes including via Pakistan.
	NATO has established reverse surface transit permissions with Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Russia, as well as use of the Russian airbase at Ulyanovsk for cargo flown direct from Afghanistan and which is then transferred to rail for onward transport.
	We are also seeking to increase resilience by negotiating bilateral surface and air reverse transit agreements with the Central Asian Republics. These negotiations are at varying stages of development. Once ratified, the bilateral agreements will provide a range of options for the redeployment of UK personnel and equipment via northern lines of communication.

Afghanistan

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  who will be responsible for the protection of UK military trainers in Afghanistan after 2014;
	(2)  who will be responsible for force protection of military trainers in Afghanistan after 2014.

Andrew Robathan: Other than our commitment to lead the international contribution to the Afghan national army officer academy in Kabul, no final decision has been made on the UK's post 2014 presence in Afghanistan.
	The Afghan national officer academy is being built within the perimeter of an Afghan facility, the perimeter of which will be defended by Afghan troops. Inside this Afghan National Army perimeter, UK personnel based at the Academy will operate from within a coalition force Operating Base where they will be protected by UK or coalition military personnel.
	The ability to provide force protection will be a key consideration for any additional contribution we may decide to make.

Afghanistan

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the status of forces agreement will be for UK service personnel serving in Afghanistan after 2014; and who will any agreement cover;
	(2)  what the rules of engagement will be for UK service armed forces personnel serving in Afghanistan post-2014.

Andrew Robathan: At the NATO Chicago conference nations agreed, at the request of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, to a new NATO led post-2014 mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan National Security Forces. Final decisions on the legal basis and rules of engagement for the post-2014 mission have not yet been taken.

Africa

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK military trainers are (a) in Mali, (b) travelling to Mali and (c) in North West Africa.

Andrew Robathan: We are still awaiting the outcome of meetings regarding contributions to the European Union Training Mission. There are no UK military trainers either in or travelling to Mali. We currently have 35 UK military personnel employed in training roles in Sierra Leone and Nigeria as part of our long-term programmes of defence engagement.

Armed Forces: Housing Benefit

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2013, Official Report, column 285W, on Armed Forces: Housing Benefit, if he will have discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions about the effect of the under-occupancy penalty on service personnel and their families.

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the under-occupancy penalty and payments of disability living allowance to injured armed forces personnel.

Mark Francois: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave on 9 January 2013, Official Report, column 285W, to the hon. Member for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland (Tom Blenkinsop). However, I can confirm that I am scheduled to meet the Minister for Welfare Reform, my noble Friend, Lord Freud, this week.

Army: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when each army careers office and career clinic in Scotland (a) closed and (b) is scheduled to close by 26 March 2013 under the recruit partnering project;
	(2)  how many (a) service personnel and (b) civilian personnel were employed at army careers offices and career clinics in (i) Dumfries, (ii) Perth, (iii) Kirkcaldy, (iv) Bathgate, (v) Galashiels, (vi) Dumbarton, (vii) Hamilton, (viii) Irvine, (ix) Paisley, (x) Stirling, (xi) Wick, (xii) Elgin, (xiii) Greenock and (xiv) Dunfermline;
	(3)  how many (a) service personnel and (b) civilian personnel will be employed at army career centres in (i) Aberdeen, (ii) Dundee, (iii) Edinburgh, (iv) Glasgow and (iv) Inverness under the recruit partnering project.

Mark Francois: In March 2012; a contract was let to Capita Business Services Ltd, for the delivery of Army recruiting in partnership with the Army. This is known as the Recruit Partnering Project and is expected to deliver benefits in excess of £300 million over the 10-year life of the contract, as well as providing assured and incentivised levels of recruiting performance for the Army.
	Over the years the Army has continually developed the laydown of the recruiting offices across the UK to meet the business requirement and the changing demands of the recruiting environment. Research indicates that today's target audience is twice as likely to look online for career guidance and advice, and we are therefore introducing a wide selection of contact channels, including improved digital access, to meet the individual preference. As a result the number of recruiting offices is being reduced across the whole of the UK. Some 73 recruiting offices will be retained and will be known as Army career centres, based on a footprint which lies within a reasonable travelling distance of over 90% of the target population.
	The dates that the Army careers offices and career clinics in Scotland that have closed or are to close under the Recruit Partnering Project are detailed in the following table. The closure of the Greenock office happened before the Recruit Partnering Project started and so has not been included.
	
		
			 Location Date closed Date to close 
			 Bathgate — 1 March 2013 
			 Dumbarton — 22 February 2013 
			 Dumfries 14 December 2012 — 
			 Dunfermline — 14 February 2013 
			 Elgin 18 January 2013 — 
			 Perth — 22 March 2013 
			 Galashiels 1 February 2013 — 
			 Hamilton — 15 March 2013 
			 Irvine — 8 March 2013 
			 Kirkcaldy — 22 March 2013 
			 Paisley — 8 March 2013 
			 Stirling — 1 March 2013 
			 Wick 18 January 2013 — 
		
	
	The numbers employed in Army careers offices and career clinics in Scotland that have closed or are to close under the Recruit Partnering Project are detailed as follows. Again the Greenock office has not been included as it closed prior to the start of the Recruit Partnering Project.
	
		
			 Location Service personnel Civil service personnel as at 30 September 2012 
			 Bathgate 2 0 
			 Dumbarton 1 0 
		
	
	
		
			 Dumfries 3 1 
			 Dunfermline 2 0 
			 Elgin 0 0 
			 Perth 18 0 
			 Galashiels 2 0 
			 Hamilton 3 0 
			 Irvine 3 1 
			 Kirkcaldy 2 0 
			 Paisley 1 0 
			 Stirling 32 2 
			 Wick 0 0 
		
	
	Service personnel employed in those offices that have closed or are closing will transfer to alternative appointments in the normal manner. All civil service personnel have either transferred to Capita under TUPE terms or have taken voluntary early release from the civil service.
	The numbers to be employed in Army career centres and outreach teams in Scotland under the Recruit Partnering Project are:
	
		
			 Location Service personnel Civilian Capita employees 
			 Aberdeen 3 0 
			 Dundee 2 1 
			 Edinburgh 3 3 
			 Glasgow 3 3 
			 Inverness 3 1 
			 Outreach Team Edinburgh 13 0 
			 Outreach Team Glasgow 11 0 
			 Outreach Team Inverness 11 0

Aviation

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions the Minister of State for the Armed Forces has taken flights in the UK in an official capacity since May 2010; how many such flights were (a) charter flights, (b) first or club class and (c) by helicopter; and who accompanied him on each such trip.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 1 February 2013
	The Minister of State for the Armed Forces has taken a total of 11 flights in an official capacity since May 2010:
	
		
			 Sir Nick Harvey 
			  Visited Flight Accompanied by: 
			 2010 Scotland Scheduled/Economy Military Assistant 
			  Northern Ireland Scheduled/Economy Military Assistant 
			  RAF Waddington Helicopter The Minister and his Assistant Private Secretary accompanied the Commander in Chief Air 
			     
			 2011 Scotland RAF Flight The Assistant Private Secretary, a Senior RAF Officer, and an MOD official 
			  Scotland Scheduled/Economy Assistant Private Secretary 
		
	
	
		
			  Northern Ireland Scheduled/Economy Military Assistant 
			     
			 2012 Scotland Scheduled/Economy Assistant Private Secretary 
			  Northern Ireland Scheduled/Economy Private Secretary 
			  Scotland Scheduled/Economy Assistant Private Secretary 
		
	
	
		
			 Rt. Hon. Andrew Robathan 
			  Visited Flight Accompanied by: 
			 2012 Scotland Scheduled/Economy Assistant Private Secretary 
			  Northern Ireland Scheduled/Economy Military Assistant

Bomb Disposal: Northern Ireland

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions military personnel were deployed on the streets of Northern Ireland in 2012 to deal with explosive devices.

Andrew Robathan: The Explosive Ordnance Device teams in Northern Ireland respond with great professionalism to all requests for assistance. We will continue to support the Police Service of Northern Ireland in the most operationally effective way.
	During 2012, Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel have responded on 318 occasions to incidents in Northern Ireland.

C17 Aircraft

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the per-week cost to the UK will be of deploying two C-17 aircraft to Mali.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 31 January 2013
	We are currently supporting French operations in Mali with one C-17 for which the additional cost to the UK per week is currently approximately £1 million. This is expected to be paid for by the Cross-Government Conflict Pool.

Cemeteries: Bassetlaw

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the state of repair of the headstone and plot of Trooper Anthony Dykes of the Blues and Royals in Harworth Cemetery, Bassetlaw; and who is responsible for the upkeep of this headstone and plot.

Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is responsible for the maintenance of Trooper Dykes' grave. Unfortunately the grave was not listed on our maintenance database, and this accounts for regular maintenance not being undertaken. Arrangements have now been made for the maintenance contractor to conduct an urgent inspection of the grave within the next seven days, and any remedial work necessary will be undertaken.
	I thank the hon. Gentleman for bringing this matter to our attention.

Defence Infrastructure Organisation

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress he has made on the organisational redesign of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation; and whether any outside consultants have been employed to advise his Department on that matter in the last full year for which data is available.

Mark Francois: The Defence Infrastructure (DIO) Enhanced Operating Model will be established from April 2013. The organisational design has been completed and the progress to populate the organisation is currently under way with appropriate trade unions consultation.
	A new Management Information System was recently procured through IBM to underpin both revised processes and organisational structure implementation. DIO has utilised consultants for some elements of the transformation programme since January 2011, following both departmental and Cabinet Office approvals.

Depleted Uranium

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 18 January 2013, Official Report, column 964W, on depleted uranium, what studies have been conducted on civilians in Iraq to assess levels of, and the health effects arising from, exposure to depleted uranium during the 2003 conflict in that country.

Andrew Robathan: Such studies, if necessary, would be the responsibility of the Iraqi Government, and we are not aware of any such studies being conducted. Monitoring of UK veterans and range workers was conducted for purposes of reassurance; our own environmental monitoring and that carried out by the UN Environment Programme in areas where depleted uranium (DU) munitions have been used has confirmed the presence of DU at levels far too low to have any detectable health impact.

Duke of Lancaster's Regiment

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the future of the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), on 5 July 2012, Official Report, column 1086, in which he stated that the Regular component of the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment will remain unchanged under Army 2020. It is intended that the regular battalions will form part of the adaptable force and will fulfil light role and light protected mobility roles.
	Decisions on the future structure of the Territorial Army, including the 4th Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, will be subject to a ministerial announcement later this year.

Indian Ocean Tsunami

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of British military involvement in Operation Garron; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 31 January 2013
	A full internal operational lessons study was undertaken into Operation Garron, the Defence contribution to the DFID-led UK response to the international humanitarian disaster relief operation in the countries affected by the tsunami in the Indian ocean on 26 December 2004. Lessons identified from such operations have and will help shape any future military response to humanitarian disaster relief.

Lord Britten of Aldeburgh

Angie Bray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is his Department's policy not to release film footage relating to the life and works of the late Lord Britten of Aldeburgh as a consequence of his being categorised as a deserter and a pacifist.

Mark Francois: Ministry of Defence (MOD) has no policies which would prevent the release of film footage relating to the life and work of Lord Britten of Aldeburgh as a result of the categorisation described.

Mali

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether unmanned drones are operational in Mali; and whether any such drones have been moved into the region.

Andrew Robathan: There are currently no UK unmanned aircraft systems operational in Mali, nor have any been moved into the region.

Mali

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of British troop commitments to the African-led International Support Mission to Mali; how many troops from participating Economic Community of West African States countries are (a) committed and (b) being trained as part of this mission; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The international community is still developing specific proposals for the African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA). The UK is prepared to contribute up to 200 personnel to provide training to troops from Anglophone West African countries contributing to AFISMA, although the numbers required will be dependent upon the requirements of the AFISMA contributing nations.

Mali

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British troops have been earmarked for involvement in the EU training mission to Mali; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), on 29 January 2013, Official Report, column 792, in which he stated that the UK is looking at offering up to 40 military personnel for EUTM Mali.
	The force generation process has not yet been completed and as such offers and allocations have not been confirmed.
	The next stage of force generation will take place in Brussels on 5 February 2013.

Military Aircraft

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where all the UK Sentinel aircraft were deployed on 24 January 2013.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 31 January 2013
	The RAF operates five Sentinel R1 aircraft. On 24 January 2013, one aircraft was deployed in the Gulf in support of Op Herrick and four aircraft were at their home base RAF Waddington. One of these four has since deployed to west Africa in support of French military operations in Mali.

Nimrod Aircraft

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the annual costs associated with utilising alternative capabilities to fulfil the role that would otherwise have been undertaken by Nimrod MRA4 aircraft.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, my hon. Friend the Member for Ludlow (Mr Dunne), on 22 October 2012, Official Report, column 616W, in which he stated that the maritime patrol capability previously provided by the Nimrod MRA4 is being mitigated by a range of assets. These assets have other primary roles and conduct other tasking, which makes it impossible to estimate and isolate the cost of the maritime patrol aircraft role.

RAF Lossiemouth

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Moray of 28 January 2013, Official Report, column 569W, on RAF Lossiemouth, when the Quick Reaction Alert North duties will be transferred from RAF Leuchars to RAF Lossiemouth;
	(2)  when the phased relocation of the RAF Leuchars element of the Typhoon Force is scheduled to be completed.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 January 2013, Official Report, column 569W, to the hon. Member for Moray (Angus Robertson).
	As planning work is ongoing, dates have yet to be finalised for the transfer of Quick Reaction Alert North responsibility and the completed relocation of the RAF Leuchars element of the Typhoon Force to RAF Lossiemouth.

Reserve Forces

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many joint exercises between the Territorial Army and Reserves are planned for each of the next seven years;
	(2)  how many joint training exercises the Territorial Army has conducted with regular forces in each of the last seven years.

Mark Francois: holding answer 1 February 2013
	Information on the number of joint exercises involving Territorial Army and regular forces conducted over the last seven years is not held in the format requested. However, many Army units have reserve and regular forces as part of their structure and conduct integrated exercises as a matter of course.
	As the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), said in his statement on 8 November 2012, Official Report, column 1025, on Future Reserves, reserve units will be paired with, train with, and achieve the same standards, as their regular counterparts. They will also deploy routinely, together with regular forces, on major overseas exercises.
	In the future the Army will be planning for approximately 13 major exercises per annum both in the UK and abroad. These exercises are each expected to have over 500 participants. Reserve elements will take part in these exercises operating alongside regular units. The level of integration will depend upon the units involved, the requirements of the exercise and the scenario upon which it is based.

Royal Corps of Signals: Redundancy

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel in the Royal Corps of Signals, by rank, are liable for redundancy under tranche 3.

Mark Francois: holding answer 1 February 2013
	The number of personnel in the Royal Corps of Signals who are required to be made redundant under tranche 3 of the armed forces redundancy programme is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 Captain 20 
			 Warrant Officer Class 2 2 
			 Staff Sergeant 7 
			 Corporal 72 
			 Lance Corporal 246 
			 Private 111

Travel and Subsistence Payments

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many senior officials in his Department (a) have and (b) have had during 2012-13 terms of employment that specify that their main place of employment is their home address and that they are entitled to claim travel and subsistence expenses for visiting departmental offices;
	(2)  how many senior officials in his Department's arm's-length bodies (a) have and (b) have had during 2012-13 terms of employment that specify that their main place of employment is their home address and that they are entitled to claim travel and subsistence expenses for visiting the offices of the arm's-length body;
	(3)  how many chairs in his Department's arm's-length bodies are paid on the basis that they are exempt from personally meeting any tax liability in respect of travel and subsistence payments for attending meetings at the offices of the arm's-length body;
	(4)  how many senior officials of his Department's arm's-length bodies are paid on the basis that they are exempt from personally meeting any tax liability in respect of travel and subsistence payments for attending meetings at the offices of the arm's-length body.

Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) fully supports a policy of alternative working practices, however no senior officials in the MOD or its trading funds have terms of employment that specify their main place of employment as their home address. Similarly, on that basis there is no tax liability issue.

HEALTH

Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Skipton and Ripon of 25 January 2013, Official Report, column 486W, on health services: rural areas, what the membership of the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA) is; how often and when ACRA has met since May 2010; what evidence base is used to determine the additional cost of delivering services in rural areas; and what ACRA's administrative costs and members' expenses were in each of the last three financial years.

Daniel Poulter: The Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA) is an independent expert committee comprising directors of public health, general practitioners (GPs), academics and NHS managers. It also supported by a Technical Advisory Group (TAG). We expect the membership and governance of ACRA to be reviewed during the year to ensure it continues to be fit-for-purpose for the new commissioning systems. As of October 2012 there were 35 ACRA or TAG members. The detailed composition was:
	
		
			  Composition 
			 Academics 7 
			 Office for National Statistics 2 
			 Civil servants from other Government Departments and devolved Administration 4 
			 Department of Health 5 
			 GPs 3 
			 Health policy expert 1 
			 NHS analyst 1 
			 NHS managers 9 
			 Public health consultants 3 
			 Total 35 
		
	
	The timing and frequency of ACRA meeting are dependent on work-load. Since May 2010 the following meetings have taken place:
	
		
			  Month Number of meetings 
			 2010 May and July 2 
			 2011 February, July and September 3 
			 2012 January, May, July and September 4 
		
	
	The cost of running ACRA is outlined as follows:
	
		
			 £ 
			  Administrative costs Members' expenses 
			 2010 3,210.77 2,221.45 
			 2011 2,930.75 1,533.57 
			 2012 699.24 2,048.17 
			    
			 Total 6,840.76 5,803.19 
			    
			 Total administration plus expenses 12,643.95 
			 Notes: 1. Administrative costs include catering and, in exceptional circumstances hiring a venue outside the civil service estate. 2. Members' expenses exclude expenses for civil servants, whose expenses are covered by their own business unit. 
		
	
	ACRA has looked at the issue of additional cost of delivering services in rural areas numerous times.
	Other than a small adjustment for the cost of Emergency Ambulance Costs they have never been able to identify evidence that would allow them to quantify the size of an adjustment for rurality.
	However, the recommendations published on 10 January, highlight the potential of a new community services dataset, currently under development, to give the first truly evidence based insight into the impact of rurality on the provision of healthcare.

Alcoholic Drinks: Rehabilitation

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the Government's alcohol strategy, when the cost benefit analysis on the case for local investment in alcohol interventions and treatment services for offenders will be published.

Anna Soubry: No time scale has been set for the publication of the cost-benefit analysis on the case for local investment in alcohol interventions and treatment services for offenders.
	Publication is dependent on the outcomes of pilot work to develop approaches to payment by results for treatment services for outcomes for recovery from drug or alcohol dependence. Publication is also dependent on prior publication of separate, independent research on brief interventions for those in probation services.

Alexandra Hospital Redditch

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when a decision will be made regarding the transfer of control of Redditch Alexandra Hospital to the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the benefits to the local community of Redditch Alexandra Hospital being transferred to the control of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the potential transfer of Redditch Alexandra Hospital to the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust;
	(4)  what services will be provided at Redditch Alexandra Hospital if it is moved under the control of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.

Daniel Poulter: The provision of local health services is a matter for the local national health service.
	National health service commissioners in Worcestershire are working with the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust to review the future provision of services, which will be subject to formal public consultation planned for this summer.

Babies: Screening

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2013, Official Report, column 353W, on babies: screening, if he will issue guidance to maternity units and health visitors on routinely checking for lip-tie in newborn babies.

Daniel Poulter: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the national health service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation. Using research evidence, pilot programmes and economic evaluation, it assesses the evidence for programmes against a set of internationally recognised criteria.
	It has been good practice for many years for all babies to have a careful physical examination after birth. On the advice of the UK NSC, the Department has set up a programme centre to oversee the implementation of a high quality and consistent NHS Newborn and Infant Physical Examination Screening Programme.
	All parents of newborn babies are offered the opportunity to have their child examined within the first 72 hours. The examination includes a general physical check as well as examination of the baby's eyes, heart, hips and testes in boys. As some conditions can develop later, the examination is repeated at six to eight weeks of age usually by a general practitioner.
	The UK NSC has not reviewed the evidence for lip and tongue tie screening. However, where stakeholder organisations or individuals feel that there is enough evidence published in peer reviewed journals to consider screening for a condition they can submit a policy proposal to the UK NSC. Further information is available on the UK NSCs website at:
	www.screening.nhs.uk/policyreview
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence published guidance on 'Division of tongue tie for breastfeeding', 2005, on a procedure to help babies with a condition known as ankyloglossia or tongue tie to breastfeed. It is for the local NHS to plan, develop and implement the use of any such guidance in order to meet the needs and circumstances of the local population.

Beef: Horse Meat

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Food Standards Agency will publish the results of the DNA tests that they are conducting on products following the discovery of horsemeat in burgers.

Anna Soubry: The Food Standards Agency will publish the results from the planned United Kingdom-wide study of food authenticity on equine and porcine DNA in processed meat products available at retail and catering businesses. The results are expected in April 2013.

Beef: Horse Meat

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he was informed about the presence of horsemeat in beefburgers.

Anna Soubry: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) was notified by Food Safety Authority Ireland (FSAI) on 14 January that they had completed a survey into the composition of burgers and other meat products, which revealed that some contained horse and pig DNA. On 15 January FSAI informed the FSA that they would be publishing their survey.
	On 15 January the FSA notified the Department of these results. Departmental Ministers were also informed on this date.
	The FSA has launched an urgent investigation into this issue and are working closely with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on this. A four point plan has been published on the FSA's website at:
	www.food.gov.uk/news-updates/news/2013/jan/horse-update

Beef: Horse Meat

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which local authorities are investigating retailers whose burgers were found to contain horsemeat.

Anna Soubry: As part of their primary authority role, relevant United Kingdom local authorities are investigating food businesses implicated in the survey conducted by Food Safety Authority of Ireland in which horse DNA was identified in beef burgers produced for sale in the UK. Hertfordshire county council is conducting investigations at Tesco and Flintshire county council is investigating Iceland.

Breast Cancer

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has issued guidance to NHS trusts on the provision of appropriate (a) prosthesis and (b) wigs for black and Asian women who have been treated for breast cancer.

Anna Soubry: The Department has not issued guidance to national health service trusts on the provision of prostheses or wigs for black and Asian women who have been treated for breast cancer.
	The provision of breast prostheses and wigs is a matter for local NHS organisations to determine. Decisions relating to provision must be considered as part of wider considerations on how best to use funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health. This process provides the means for addressing local needs within the health community, including the provision of prostheses and wigs.
	A new agreement for the provision of breast prostheses and wigs was put in place in February 2011. All of the suppliers on the NHS agreement should be able to accommodate the needs of black and minority ethnic groups. Furthermore, local health care professionals do have the ability to obtain products from outside of the current agreement if it is deemed appropriate for the specific needs of a particular patient.

Cancer

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of patient-reported outcome measures in respect of cancer patients from black and minority ethnic groups;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the survival rates of ethnic minority cancer patients.

Anna Soubry: We know from both the 2010 and 2011-12 National Cancer Patient Experience Surveys that cancer patients from black and minority ethnic (BME) groups are significantly less likely to be positive about some aspects of their care, particularly communication and the way they are treated as patients by the staff, than white patients. This key finding replicates the findings of surveys of national health service patients in other patient pathways. The reports of the surveys can be found at the following links:
	https://www.wp.dh.gov.uk/publications/files/2012/08/Cancer-Patient-Experience-Survey-National-Report-2011-12.pdf
	www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_122520.pdf
	On 11 December 2012, the Department published ‘Quality of Life of Cancer Survivors in England: Report on a pilot survey using Patient Reported Outcomes’ (PROMS). The report summarises the results from a pilot survey sent to a sample of almost 5,000 survivors of prostate, breast, bowel and colorectal cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, in the summer of 2011. The purpose of the survey was better to understand the quality of life health outcomes for cancer patients in England. A copy of the PROMS report has been placed in the Library.
	Less than 7% of all respondents indicated a black or minority ethnic background resulting in too little data to analyse findings by ethnic group effectively. The high response rate (66%) overall and the willingness of large numbers of patients to provide free text comments on their quality of life, however, demonstrates the acceptability of this approach to collecting information on quality of life.
	A national survey of 35,000 bowel (colorectal) cancer survivors is currently being trialled, which offers us the possibility of being able compare quality of life for different ethnic groups and for patients treated at different hospitals.
	In 2009, linkage of cancer registration data to Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data by the National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN) allowed the first national analysis of cancer incidence and survival by ethnicity for a multitude of cancers.
	Initial analyses indicated that differences may exist, but because ethnicity data is not complete, there are high level of uncertainty in the results and therefore care needs to be taken when interpreting them. A copy of the NCIN report ‘Cancer Incidence and Survival By Major Ethnic Group 2002-06’ can be found at the following link:
	www.ncin.org.uk/view.aspx?rid=234
	The second annual report of our Cancer Outcomes Strategy, published on 12 December 2012, set out that the National Cancer Equality Initiative and the NCIN have specified and agreed a range of high-level equality metrics which will be undertaken, to an agreed regularity. These include processing metrics such as the proportions of ethnicity coding recorded by providers. As ethnicity data collection improves, analysis of survival by ethnic group will become more reliable. A copy of the report has been placed in the Library.

Carbon Monoxide: Alarms

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on the provisions of carbon monoxide alarms to homes that receive funding for home insulation through his Department's Warm Homes Healthy People Fund.

Anna Soubry: The Cold Weather Plan for England 2012, published on 26 October 2012, recognises that carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is potentially fatal and urges individuals to consider fitting an audible CO alarm that is EN 50291-compliant, but that fitting an alarm should not replace regular maintenance of appliances. A copy of the plan has already been placed in the Library.
	The Warm Homes Healthy People (WHHP) 2012 fund supports the Cold Weather Plan, and invited local authorities to submit innovative proposals to make homes warmer and reduce levels of death and morbidity.
	The Department for Communities and Local Government was involved in the development of the Cold Weather Plan, and the assessment process for awarding funding to proposals from local authorities for the WHHP fund.

Clinical Trials

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the relative levels of representation of ethnic minorities in clinical trials.

Daniel Poulter: The Department has made no specific assessment of the relative levels of representation of minority ethnic groups in clinical trials.
	The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme has funded research related to this topic, including a project on involving South Asian patients in clinical trials. Details of this project are available on the HTA website at:
	www.hta.ac.uk/project/1199.asp

Domestic Violence

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role he expects (a) the National Commissioning Board and (b) clinical commissioning groups to have in addressing domestic violence.

Anna Soubry: Domestic violence is recognised as a key public health issue, and the Public Health Outcomes Framework will therefore include a measure of domestic violence, which is currently being developed. As part of the health reforms, any specialist domestic violence services that were commissioned by primary care trusts will become the responsibility of the local authority.
	From April 2013, commissioning hospital and community health services that are used by victims of domestic violence will become the responsibility of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) while the NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB) will be responsible for commissioning all primary care services, including general medical services. CCGs will have a key role in looking at the Health and Wellbeing Strategy to assess the needs of victims and ensuring these are reflected in their commissioning plans. With the Health and Wellbeing Board, they will help to ensure that local care pathways are developed and promoted, so that women and children who are victims of violence are offered the specialist help and support that they need.
	Safeguarding arrangements for children and young people as well as adults are key in protecting those who might be affected by domestic violence. The Department has been working with the NHS CB and other partners to develop an accountability and assurance framework for safeguarding in the future national health service. Interim advice in September 2012 expanded on the safeguarding requirements which clinical commissioning groups had to demonstrate in order to be authorised. A copy of the report is at:
	www.commissioningboard.nhs.uk/files/2012/09/interim-safeguarding.pdf
	An update will be published shortly, alongside revised statutory guidance.

Domestic Violence

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many healthcare staff with direct responsibility for policy on domestic violence were employed by each primary care trust in each of the last five years.

Anna Soubry: Many healthcare staff will see people who are or may have experienced domestic violence. Information on the number of healthcare staff with direct responsibility for policy on domestic violence is not held centrally.

Donors

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures his Department is taking to increase the number of individuals from ethnic minorities registered on the (a) bone marrow, (b) blood and (c) organ donor registers.

Anna Soubry: People from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities remain significantly under-represented across all forms of donation. The refusal rate of BAME families to consent to family members’ organs being used for transplant is nearly 80%, compared to an average 25% nationally, and only 1% of blood donors in England and North Wales are from BAME backgrounds.
	The Department established the National BAME Transplant Alliance (NBTA) in 2012 to bring together campaigning organisations to tackle the problem of low organ and stem cell donor and transplantation rates among the BAME community. It has also allocated £8 million since 2010 to improve stem cell transplant services. This work has seen an increase in the number of umbilical cord blood units donated from BAME mothers.
	NHS Blood and Transplant runs regular blood and organ donor recruitment campaigns which encourage members of BAME communities to become donors. This includes plans to extend direct collaboration with local authorities in ethnically diverse areas.
	We are making progress across all donation areas and, since 2010, there has been an increase of 14% in bone marrow donors on the British Bone Marrow Registry, 3% increase in active blood donors and 39% increase on the Organ Donor Register.

Glass

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the NHS of glass-related incidents was in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: The information requested is not available because the cost to the national health service of treating injuries caused by glass-related incidents is not reported separately to the Department.

Health

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect an Investor State Dispute Settlement clause in the final Canada-EU Trade Agreement would have on public health;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with his European Union counterparts about the effect that including Investor State Dispute Settlement clauses in EU trade agreements would have on public health policy and on national policies to reduce smoking.

Anna Soubry: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has not had any recent discussions of this issue with his European Union counterparts.
	Although responsibility for the Canada-EU Trade Agreement rests with the Department for Business, Innovation and skills, we have been advised that the United Kingdom's experience of Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) clauses suggests that they should not, if carefully worded, constrict governments' capacity to regulate in the public interest.

Health Services

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of progress on the transfer of public health functions to local authorities and the formation of health and wellbeing boards.

Anna Soubry: The Department is working alongside the Local Government Association to support local authorities in assessing their preparedness for the transfer of public health functions from 1 April 2013. Self-assessments in autumn 2012 from each upper tier and unitary local authority recorded widespread confidence at a local level that a safe transition will be achieved with 95% of the localities reporting they expect a successful outcome. The local government sector is providing peer support to the remaining 5% drawing on the Department's expertise where needed.
	Shadow health and wellbeing boards are also operating and developing well in every local authority area across the country with many adopting ways of working which suit their own local circumstances.

Medical Records: Disability

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy that GPs be required to provide medical reports free of charge to disabled people for the purpose of launching legal appeals.

Daniel Poulter: It is important that services provided by general practitioners (GPs), which are funded by the national health service, are delivered to, and for the benefit of, the patients registered with them. Under the terms of their NHS contract for the provision of primary medical services, GPs are required to provide certain medical reports, or complete certain forms such as those required to support a claim for incapacity benefit, free of charge to their registered patients.
	However, GPs also provide a variety of other services which successive Governments have regarded as private matters between the patient and the doctor providing the service. The doctor is free to make a charge for these non-NHS services if he or she wishes. There are no current plans to introduce a requirement that GPs must provide medical reports to their patients free of charge in other circumstances.

Obesity

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of (a) children and (b) adults in Pendle constituency were classed as (i) obese and (ii) overweight when measured by body mass index in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Anna Soubry: The information requested is not centrally available in the format requested.
	There are two sources of data from which relevant information about obesity and body mass index can be obtained—the ‘Health Survey for England’ and the ‘National Child Measurement Programme’.
	Information on the prevalence of obese and overweight adults (men and women) aged 16 and over in England for each year from 1993 to 2011 is available in table 4 of the adult trend tables from ‘Health Survey for England—2011 trend tables’.
	Information on the prevalence of obese and overweight men and women aged 16 and over by strategic health authority (SHA) for 2011 is available in table 10.4 of the ‘Health Survey for England—2011: Health, social care and lifestyles’.
	Information showing the prevalence of children (aged two to 15) who are obese or overweight is available in table 4 of the child trend tables from ‘Health Survey for England—2011 trend tables’. Information is available for children aged two to 10 and also for children aged 11 to 15 and 2 to 15 combined in England, for each year from 1995 to 2011.
	Information on the prevalence of obese and overweight boys and girls aged two to 15 by SHA for 2011 is available in table 11.3 of the ‘Health Survey for England—2011: Health, social care and lifestyles’.
	Information on the prevalence of obese and overweight children by region and local authority is available in tables 3A and 3B in the excel file accompanying ‘National Child Measurement Programme: England, 2011/12 school year’. In table 3A the geography is derived from the postcode of the school and in table 3B it is derived from the postcode of the child. However, this information is only available for children in school year reception (generally aged four and five) and school year 6 (generally aged 10 to 11). The latest year available is school year 2011-12.
	The information contained in the tables referenced has been placed in the Library.

Obesity

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of (a) children and (b) adults were (i) obese and (ii) overweight when measured by body mass index in (A) Haltemprice and Howden constituency, (B) East Yorkshire, (C) Yorkshire and the Humber and (D) England in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Anna Soubry: I refer my right hon. Friend to the written answer the Minister for Care and Support, the hon. Member for North Norfolk (Norman Lamb), gave on 16 January 2013, Official Report, columns 854-55W, to the hon. Member for Dudley North (Ian Austin).

Pharmacy: Crime

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals he has for amendment of section 64 of the Medicines Act 1968 in order to decriminalise genuine dispensing errors made by pharmacists; what timescale has been set for the proposed amendment; and what the scope is of the review.

Daniel Poulter: Reform of section 64 of the Medicines Act 1968 will be considered in the review by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency of the sanctions and penalties for which the agency is responsible. That review will be closely linked to the programme, led by the chief pharmaceutical officer, which will consider the respective roles of medicines legislation and statutory independent professional regulation in safeguarding the public in relation to the sale and supply of medicines by pharmacies, with a view to placing increased reliance on the latter. The timetable for implementing recommendations from this work has yet to be determined; however, specific consideration will be given to the possibility of accelerating implementation of agreed changes relating to section 64.

Prescription Drugs

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency regarding the consultation proposals for an early access scheme for new drugs.

Daniel Poulter: As an executive agency of the Department of Health, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency advises Ministers on its areas of competence. Discussions are continuing across Government following the consultation on “an early access to medicines scheme in the UK” and the Government expects to make an announcement in 2013.

Prescription Drugs

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to improve statistical returns to determine patient characteristics in the dispensation of prescriptions.

Daniel Poulter: Until 2007, the NHS Information Centre's annual statistical bulletin, Prescriptions Dispensed in the Community: England, provided an estimate of the number of prescription items dispensed to combined prescription charge exemption groups. This data was withdrawn following a review of the statistical validity of the data which was based on a 1 in 20 sample, together with the appropriateness of how the data was used at a lower level.
	We have been working with the NHS Business Services Authority to address the issues and, depending on the outcome of this work, it is the intention to resume publication of this type of data with the estimate based on 100% of the data collected in this year's bulletin.

Snow and Ice: Accidents

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the likely cost to the NHS of falls due to snow in winter 2012-13.

Daniel Poulter: No estimate has been made. The cost to the national health service of treating injuries caused by falls is not reported separately to the Department.

Travel and Subsistence Payments

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many senior officials in his Department (a) have and (b) have had during 2012-13 terms of employment that specify that their main place of employment is their home address and that they are entitled to claim travel and subsistence expenses for visiting departmental offices.

Daniel Poulter: There are three senior officials in the Department who have or have had during 2012-13 terms of employment that specify that they are entitled to claim travel and subsistence expenses from their home for visiting departmental offices. The details of these cases are published annually in the Departmental Resource Accounts.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Children: Maintenance

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to his plans to allow the payment of statutory child maintenance by parents without use of the statutory collection service, whether either parent will be able to insist on payment via a money transfer service or whether the agreement of both parents will be needed for its use.

Steve Webb: The money transfer option in its current form is a web page which simply gives information on how PayPal and MoneyGram could be used to support family based arrangements or direct pay agreements, with appropriate web links. Currently the parent with care has to agree to direct pay and how child maintenance payments are made within it.
	We are a developing an enhanced solution, for when charging is introduced, to allow clients, who do not wish to have contact with their ex-partner, to have Direct Pay agreements and so avoid collection fees. The non-resident parent will be able to choose Direct Pay without the agreement of the parent with care and either parent will be able to insist on use of the money transfer option to protect their personal details, avoiding contact.

Children: Maintenance

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans his Department has developed on allowing parents to pay and receive statutory child maintenance via referral to a money transfer service; and whether he proposes that use of the money transfer service will be free to both parents.

Steve Webb: The money transfer option in its current form is a web page which simply gives information on how PayPal and MoneyGram could be used to support family based arrangements or direct pay agreements, with appropriate web links. Both PayPal and MoneyGram levy a fee for their service.
	We are developing an enhanced solution for when charging is introduced. We are working with stakeholders in the financial services industry to develop a solution that meets the needs of our clients, namely that it does not require one party to share traceable contact details with the other and that there is no direct contact needed between parties. We intend that the service will be free to both parents.

Children: Maintenance

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what amount of child maintenance has to be paid, over what period, and with what degree of regularity, for a child maintenance arrangement, whether private or statutory, to be judged by his Department as (a) compliant or (b) effective.

Steve Webb: Statutory cases administered through the collection service are recorded as compliant, and therefore effective, when a scheduled payment has been received through the collection service in the preceding quarter.
	Statutory cases recorded as Maintenance Direct at the end of a quarter are considered compliant and therefore effective. The assumption for Maintenance Direct cases is that the amount of child maintenance calculated is being paid and received, and that one of the parents would contact us if their Maintenance Direct arrangement was no longer working.
	Statutory scheme performance is reported on a quarterly basis in the Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary Statistics which is available here:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=csa
	Child Maintenance Options clients' circumstances are tracked through a quarterly representative survey. Clients are considered to have an effective family-based maintenance arrangement when they report that a regular (or ad hoc) financial arrangement is in place where at least some of the agreed amount is always/usually received on time and/or where the arrangement is working very/fairly well.
	Details of the Child Maintenance Options outcomes survey are available here:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/adhoc_analysis/2012/Survey_of_Child_Maintenance_Options_Outcomes.pdf

Children: Maintenance

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to his Department's report, Estimating the impact of CSA case closure and charging, published in August 2012 and its conclusion that there will be a full annual compliance rate for direct pay arrangements of only around 28 per cent on charging to use the statutory collection once service commences, whether he plans to review his Department's method of counting the number of child maintenance cases with a positive maintenance outcome.

Steve Webb: In the report ‘Estimating the impact of CSA case closure and charging’, available here:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/estimating-impacts-csa-case-closure-and-charging.pdf
	the likely long-term percentage choosing Direct Pay is outlined in chapter 7 (pages 30-36) and compliance in the Child Maintenance Service is discussed in Annex C (pages 50-52). The report does not include a compliance estimate for cases remaining on Direct Pay in the longer term.
	Using current definitions (as applied to CSA Maintenance Direct cases), Direct Pay cases will be considered compliant unless one of the parents contacts us to say that their arrangement is no longer working.
	However, we are reviewing the current methodology used to derive the number of child maintenance cases with a positive maintenance outcome and it is our intention, over the coming months, to implement a revised methodology. Any change in measures will be communicated and reported in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

Children: Maintenance

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had on including the student loan income of full-time students in the income that is assessed when determining liability for child maintenance payments; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: I have had no recent discussions on this subject.
	The statutory child maintenance schemes introduced in 2003 and in December 2012 both ignore, as income, student loans paid to a non-resident parent. The original statutory child maintenance scheme, introduced in 1993, does count as income certain payments made to students, including student loans. However £10 a week of a student loan is ignored.
	More generally, the 2012 scheme has not carried forward the 2003 scheme rule whereby a non-resident parent who is a student automatically pays no child maintenance. Instead the maintenance liability of students will be worked out in the same way as other non-resident parents, by taking into account their weekly income, but excluding any student loans.
	The Government has no plans to change any of these rules.

Children: Maintenance

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish the Client Charter for the Child Maintenance service.

Steve Webb: We will ensure that the Client Charter is published on the DWP website on 4 February, within the child maintenance section where it is most relevant and can be easily found.
	A hard copy of the document will also be placed in the House Library.

Conditions of Employment

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are employed on zero-hour contracts in his Department.

Mark Hoban: I can confirm that there are no people employed by the Department for Work and Pensions on a zero-hour contract.

Employment Schemes: Disability

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2013, Official Report, columns 645-6W, on employment schemes: disability, what steps are taken by Jobcentre Plus to assess the needs of disabled people before referring them for employment support; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: When making a claim to benefit, claimants have a diagnostic interview with a Jobcentre Plus adviser. This is used to set out what is required of the individual and at the same time assesses what support they need. This will include considering any health related support, referrals to a disability employment adviser or employment provision such as Work Choice.
	Following this assessment a claimant commitment/jobseekers agreement/action plan is put in place which sets out any work-related requirements. The requirements will vary depending on the benefit claimed and the claimant's individual circumstances, health condition and/or disability.
	Advisers and providers must take into account any health-related restrictions when referring a claimant to, or while they are taking part in, an employment programme.

Food Banks

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the correlation between changes to working age benefits and increase in demand for food banks.

Mark Hoban: The Government's radical modernisation of the welfare system is designed to ensure that people have the right support and incentives to move into work and out of poverty.
	While we recognise the valuable work undertaken by community organisations in providing food banks for vulnerable people, food banks are not part of the welfare system and we do not hold national statistics about participation in food bank services.

Housing Benefit

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parents who are not registered as the main carer of their child claim housing benefit for properties with two or more bedrooms in (a) Liverpool, (b) the North West and (c) the UK.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not available for either (a) Liverpool, nor (b) the North West.
	DWP estimate that in 2010-11 there were 200,000 benefit units in the UK receiving housing benefit for properties with two or more bedrooms, and who had either a child or children aged 19 years or under living outside their household with their other parent. Many of these benefit units will not however be under-occupying because they contain other children. This analysis covers renters in both the private and social rented sectors.
	Notes:
	1. A benefit unit is defined to be single adult or a married or cohabiting couple and any dependent children; since January 2006 same-sex partners (civil partners and cohabitees) have been included in the same benefit unit.
	2. The Family Resources Survey (FRS) is a nationally representative sample of approximately 25,000 private households across the United Kingdom.
	3. Data for 2010-11 was collected between April 2010 and March 2011.
	4. Figures from the FRS are based on a sample of households which have been adjusted for non-response using multi-purpose grossing factors which align the estimates to region populations by age and sex. Estimates are subject to sampling error and remaining non-response error.
	5. The FRS is known to under-record benefit receipt so the estimate presented should be treated with caution. Please see table M6 for more information:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/frs/2010_11/chapter9.pdf
	6. The figure has been rounded to the nearest 100,000.
	Source:
	Family Resources Survey 2010-11

Housing Benefit

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many registered foster carers claim housing benefit for properties with two or more bedrooms in (a) Liverpool, (b) the North West and (c) the UK.

Steve Webb: We estimate that nationally the number of foster carers who may be affected by the introduction of the social sector size criteria is fewer than 5,000.
	Indicative information from a variety of sources including a survey conducted by the Fostering Network in 2010, Department for Education and devolved Administrations, Family Resources survey.
	The information requested is not available.

Incapacity Benefit: Offenders

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of recipients of incapacity benefit who have subsequently received criminal convictions since 1997-98.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is not available.

Jobcentre Plus

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in respect of which objectives he sets targets for Jobcentre Plus branches.

Mark Hoban: DWP monitor the effectiveness of Jobcentre Plus via a range of performance mechanisms, including performance against the Cabinet Office Structural Reform Plan and its own internal Performance Environment. The main measure of Jobcentre Plus performance is the rate at which people leave jobseeker's allowance, income support and employment and support allowance and move into employment. The measure supports the Department for Work and Pensions 2011-15 business plan and the coalition Government's structural reform priority to Get Britain Working. The Department provides regular monthly progress and performance reports to the Department and Ministers, and makes performance data available to the public through the DWP website.
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/corporate-publications/dwp-business-plan-2011-2015/business-plan-transparency/people-moving-from-key-out-of-work/

Office for National Statistics

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the statement by the Minister of State for Employment on 28 January 2013, Official Report, column 661, if he will place in the Library a copy of his letter to the Office for National Statistics, together with a copy of any reply he received.

Mark Hoban: Copies of the letter sent to Glen Watson, Director General of the Office for National Statistics, on 9 November 2012, and his reply, dated 26 November, will be placed in the Library

Personal Independence Payment

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2013, Official Report, column 326W, on personal independence payments, which organisations were consulted prior to his statement that his Department does not believe that disability charities will have to manage additional workloads.

Esther McVey: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave to the hon. Member for Glasgow North West (John Robertson) on 22 January 2013, Official Report, column 161W.

Personal Independence Payment

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that the needs of people suffering from Parkinson's disease are taken into account by the new personal independence payment assessment.

Esther McVey: We have engaged extensively with disabled people and their organisations on the development of the PIP assessment, including with Parkinson's UK. We have made a number of changes to the assessment as a result of the feedback we received. I believe we now have a set of criteria which will accurately and consistently take account of all types of disabilities, including physical, sensory, mental, intellectual, cognitive and neurological impairments. Entitlement is not based on having a particular health condition or impairment; rather the assessment considers the claimant's individual circumstances and the impact of their health condition or impairment on their ability to carry out key everyday activities.
	Parkinson's UK recently wrote to me expressing their concern that the regulations for PIP did not make clear that the assessment should consider whether individuals can carry out activities safely, reliably, repeatedly and in a timely manner. This has always been a key part of our proposals for the assessment but I am pleased to say that we will amend the regulations to make this clear.
	To ensure that the criteria are applied consistently, we have given assessment providers a clear set of requirements and guidance on carrying out assessments, the areas they must cover in their training as well as the competencies the health professionals must demonstrate before they carry out an assessment. Any professional not meeting our requirements will not be given approval to carry out assessments.

Personal Independence Payment

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy that people with long-term conditions are not subject to costly and stressful reassessments for personal independence payments when their condition is not likely to improve; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: Personal independence payment is designed to assess people as individuals and ensure that decisions on entitlement, award lengths and timing of reviews are appropriate and evidence-based. While in some cases short-term awards of one or two years may be appropriate, we have been clear that longer term awards will be made in cases where the claimant's needs are expected to remain relatively stable or change slowly. Ongoing awards will be made in some cases where significant change in the claimant's needs is very unlikely.
	All awards, regardless of duration, will be reviewed periodically to ensure that the individual continues to receive the correct amount of benefit. Awards will be reviewed in a proportionate way with consideration given to the circumstances of the individual.
	While face-to-face consultations will be an important part of the assessment for most individuals, allowing an in-depth look at their circumstances, they will not be appropriate in every case. Where there is sufficient and robust factual information about the claimant and the impacts of their health condition or impairment on which to make a paper-based assessment, it would be inappropriate to require individuals to attend a consultation. However, these decisions need to be taken on a case-by-case basis, as impairments can affect people in very different ways.

Personal Independence Payment

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that people with fluctuating conditions are properly and accurately assessed for personal independence payments.

Esther McVey: The assessment for personal independence payment will take full account of the impact of fluctuating conditions by considering an individual's circumstances and the impact of their health condition or disability over a 12-month period. It will take into account where their ability to carry out activities is affected on a majority of days in the year, at any point on those days. This is a more generous approach than disability living allowance, which requires a need to be present for the majority of time before it is taken into account.
	A key consideration when assessing individuals is not just whether they can complete the activities but can they do so safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and in a reasonable time period. This helps ensure that we take the proper account of conditions which have fluctuating effects. We will make this matter clear in the regulations for PIP.
	We have set clear requirements on the competencies that heath professionals must demonstrate before they can carry out assessments for personal independence payment and the areas that assessment providers must cover in their training, which includes the assessment of claimants with a fluctuating condition. Any professional not meeting our requirements will not be given approval to carry out assessments.

Plants

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on indoor and outdoor plants and trees since his appointment.

Mark Hoban: DWP pays an all inclusive unitary charge for fully serviced accommodation. This means that the Department does not directly spend anything on the supply of indoor/outdoor plants or trees.

Social Security Benefits

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the value is of any benefits that have been (a) overpaid and (b) underpaid in each parliamentary constituency in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2009-10; and whether his Department has been required to pay any compensation as a consequence.

Mark Hoban: The information is not available in the format requested.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to ensure that people claiming disability benefits have the right to use evidence provided by a medical consultant, rather than be assessed by Atos; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: Whereas GPs and specialists are trained in diagnosis and treatment, Healthcare Professionals employed by Atos are trained in disability assessment.
	For employment and support allowance (ESA) claims, this involves assessing the functional effects of a person's condition or disability and for disability living allowance (DLA) claims; this involves assessing the effect that the disability or condition has on the person's care and/or mobility needs.
	The Department's decision makers consider all the available information including any evidence provided by a customer, their GP or consultant before making a decision on benefit entitlement.
	GPs and specialists are unlikely to have the knowledge of the benefit system, legislation or disability analysis to provide decision makers with the information they require to make benefit entitlement decisions. Therefore while people claiming disability benefits are encouraged to provide additional medical evidence this will not replace the independent assessment.

Social Security Benefits: Polygamy

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many polygamous families are claiming benefits;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the number of second and subsequent partners in polygamous relationships who are making separate claims from the principal man and wife in the household;
	(3)  how many reduced individual income support payments are being made in cases where the applicant's partner lives in the same household with both them and their first legal spouse.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is not available.

Unemployed People: Travel

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recipients of out-of-work benefits successfully claimed an allowance to travel to an interview for work between 1997 and 2010; where each such individual was travelling from and to; and what the cost to the Exchequer was for (a) travel and (b) accommodation in each such year.

Mark Hoban: The information you have requested is not available in full.
	The information that is available is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Total expenditure (£) 
			 2005-06 2,264,870 
			 2006-07 2,315,111 
		
	
	
		
			 2007-08 2,198,166 
			 2008-09 3,054,728 
			 2009-10 6,841,116 
			 2010-11 5,670,712 
		
	
	Financial information prior to 2005-06 is not available.
	Although the expenditure does include payments for overnight accommodation costs where these have been approved, this is not accounted for separately from the travel costs.
	With regards the question on individual journeys, this information is not collated centrally and could be provided only by examining individual transactions which would incur disproportionate costs.

Unemployment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 5 November 2012, Official Report, column 591, to what change of policy or procedure he was referring when he stated that the Government had changed the recording of unemployment statistics and ended the former practice of deliberately and falsely capping the figures.

Mark Hoban: Under the last Government's new deal programme, young people who remained on jobseeker's allowance for 10 months were required to take up a period of full-time activity which ended the claim. They remained out of work and dependent on financial support, but were paid a training allowance and recorded separately from JSA. This meant they could spend a long period continuously out of work and receiving financial support without ever appearing in the published JSA figures as unemployed for over 12 months. The introduction of the Work programme has ended this practice, as participants continue to receive financial support through JSA while being supported to move into work.

Unemployment Benefits

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of households in which no-one has ever worked which were claiming out-of-work benefits in each parliamentary constituency in each financial year since 1997; what the cost to the Exchequer was of such payments; and how many children were living in each household.

Mark Hoban: Information on the number of households in which no-one has ever worked is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Unemployment Benefits: West Midlands

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people in (a) Birmingham, Erdington constituency, (b) Birmingham and (c) the West Midlands who have been in receipt of out-of-work benefits for (i) one year, (ii) two and (iii) three years and over.

Mark Hoban: The information is as follows:
	
		
			 Out-of-work benefit claimants by statistical group and duration of oldest claim in West Midlands, Birmingham local authority, and Birmingham Erdington parliamentary constituency: February 2012 
			  All Up to one year One to two years Two to three years Three years and over 
			 Total for West Midlands 482,300 214,210 61,420 29,790 176,880 
			 Jobseeker’s allowance 171,720 130,430 29,060 7,350 4,870 
			 Incapacity benefits 232,340 60,990 18,530 12,960 139,860 
			 Lone parents 59,230 16,040 11,190 7,850 24,170 
			 Carers 13,480 3,180 2,080 1,430 6,790 
			 Other income related benefits 5,520 3,570 550 200 1,190 
			       
			 Total for Birmingham local authority 127,080 57,870 18,140 7,590 43,490 
			 Jobseeker’s allowance 51,510 37,850 9,840 2,170 1,650 
			 Incapacity benefits 53,130 14,330 4,540 2,780 31,490 
			 Lone parents 17,050 3,900 2,980 2,200 7,970 
			 Carers 3,810 870 590 390 1,960 
			 Other income related benefits 1,580 920 180 60 420 
			       
			 Total for Birmingham Erdington parliamentary constituency 14,540 6,150 2,070 830 5,500 
			 Jobseeker’s Allowance 5,550 4,010 1,090 220 230 
			 Incapacity benefits 6,520 1,480 560 330 4,150 
			 Lone parents 1,950 470 350 240 900 
			 Carers 380 90 50 30 200 
			 Other income related benefits 140 100 10 10 20 
			 Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions further to his answer of 28 January 2013, Official Report, column 659W, on the Work programme, whether he will publish his response to the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education report The Work Programme: What is the role of skills?

Mark Hoban: We currently have no plans to publish a response.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Fifth Special Report from the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee, Apprenticeships: Government Response to the Committee's Fifth Report of Session 2012-13 (HC899), what the results were of the Diversity in Apprenticeship pilots; and what steps he plans to take following the independent evaluation of the pilots.

Matthew Hancock: holding answer 1 February 2013
	The committee recognised the value of the work undertaken by the National Apprenticeship Service to encourage greater diversity within apprenticeships, but it is clear that there is more to be done. An independent evaluation of the Diversity in Apprenticeships Pilots was published in September and work is under way to take forward the lessons learned.

Apprentices

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Fifth Special Report from the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee, Apprenticeships: Government Response to the Committee's Fifth Report of Session 2012-13 (HC899), what analysis his Department has commissioned to investigate levels of additionality in the Apprenticeship scheme.

Matthew Hancock: holding answer 1 February 2013
	Research published by the Department last year compared the training undertaken in similar firms who do and do not employ apprentices. This suggested that in the absence of any publicly-funded apprenticeships, 72% of apprentices would not have undertaken any training. This full report—‘Assessing the Deadweight Loss Associated with Public Investment in Further Education and Skills’—can be accessed at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32281/12-767-assessing-deadweight-loss-with-investment-further-education.pdf
	Further work is currently under way to build on this study and will be published later this year. This will assess how estimates of additionality can be improved using evidence which has become available since this study, and what further data should be collected to improve the robustness of the estimates going forward.
	Last year, the Department also published a survey of apprenticeship employers, which asked about the impact on their engagement in the programme if they had to pay higher fees. This suggested that the total number of apprentices aged 19+ would fall by 85% if public funding was removed. The full report—‘Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Employers’—can be accessed at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32305/12-813-evaluation-of-apprenticeships-employers.pdf

Apprentices: North West

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships have been created in (a) Pendle constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the North West since the start of the Government's apprenticeship programme.

Matthew Hancock: Information on the number of apprenticeship starts by geography are published in Supplementary Tables to a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR), last published on 11 October 2012:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/87E140BF-810D-4C48-A5C1-9C8B84B46117/0/October2012_Apprenticeship Starts.xls
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/Statistics/fe_data_library/Apprenticeships/

Business: Government Assistance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will simplify the administrative aspects of Government-backed loan schemes.

Michael Fallon: The Government has in place a range of support to assist small and medium-sized businesses access loans. Government has sought to balance the need to maintain adequate records to ensure propriety and value for money, while at the same time minimising the burden on small and medium enterprises (SMEs). For example, the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) scheme was specifically designed to be a simple add on to lenders' own commercial loan application process that borrowers must undertake before EFG is considered. The EFG process is highly automated and places minimal additional requirements on borrowers. We have no plans to change the application process.
	The Funding for Lending scheme, established by the Bank of England working with Government, which also exists to improve the availability and price of finance, supports banks' funding costs directly and involves no administrative burden at all for borrowers.
	There are also a range of programmes that are delivered locally through local enterprise partnerships, universities, local authorities and other selected bidders as part of the Regional Growth Fund. The Government has significantly reduced the administrative burden for applicants once they have been selected including reducing the contracting process to six months.

Citizens' Advice Bureaux

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many Citizen Advice Bureau offices closed in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and how many he estimates will close in 2012-13.

Jo Swinson: In 2010-11 a total of three bureaux closed (a call centre in Stevenage, City of London and Wyre District). In 2011-12, a total of five bureaux closed (Cardiff, Islington, Melton, Netherley and West Lancashire). In 2012-13 a total of two bureaux have closed (Newark and Huntingdonshire). In each case Citizens Advice and the bureaux have worked together and established or are trying to establish an alternative service(s) to deliver local residents.
	Citizens Advice are unable to supply figures for anticipated closures in 2013-14 but there are a number of bureaux at risk and they are working together to look at options, maintain relations with local authorities, and discussing alternative service models.

Copyright

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to his Department's publication, Modernising Copyright: a modern, robust and flexible framework, what definition his Department uses of fair dealing.

Jo Swinson: “Fair dealing” has been a feature of British copyright legislation since 1911. It allows people to use copyright works for specific purposes such as private study and news reporting as long as the use is fair. Whether a specific use is fair will be considered by a court on a case-by-case basis. The court will consider how a fair-minded and honest person would deal with the work, taking into account factors such as the amount of the work copied and whether or not it competes with commercial exploitation. “Fair dealing” exists in many other common law countries, such as Canada and Australia, and is in line with international copyright standards such as the Berne “three-step test”.

Cybercrime

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure small businesses are aware of cyber-security issues.

David Willetts: From spring 2013 the Government will be rolling out a programme of public awareness drives on the issue of cyber security, building on the work of:
	www.GetSafeOnline.org
	and the National Fraud Authority. This programme will be delivered in partnership with the private sector and will aim to increase cyber confidence and measurably improve the online safety of small businesses and consumers. My Department is also producing practical cyber security guidance for small businesses, and will continue to incorporate cyber security advice into ‘Business in You’, the awareness campaign and online resource website providing advice and practical support for micro and growing businesses, and into other interactions that the Government has with small businesses across all sectors of UK industry. This year we will be supporting regional initiatives to raise awareness of cyber security issues, such as delivering a practical cyber security awareness-raising event for SMEs in partnership with selected universities. In October, my Department will again partner with Get Safe Online to support their cyber security awareness-raising week, which will have a specific small business element this year.

Cybercrime

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the level of awareness of cyber security issues among small and medium-sized enterprises.

David Willetts: In 2012 the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) worked together with Get Safe Online and the National Fraud Authority to deliver two pieces of research into small and medium-sized enterprises’ awareness, behaviours and attitudes around cyber security. BIS also supported PwC's Cyber Security Breach Survey, which surveyed SMEs as well as large businesses, and will be repeated this year. This research has provided Government with an understanding of the different levels of awareness of cyber security issues among SMEs, and together with insight from key stakeholders such as the cyber security sector and the Federation of Small Businesses, has helped inform the evidence base for all communications work with SMEs. BIS has also worked with the National Fraud Authority on development of their National Cyber Confidence Tracker, which has a specific set of questions on cyber security for small and medium-sized enterprises. This survey is now in field to provide a benchmark of cyber security awareness and behaviours, and will be repeated on a bi-monthly basis.

Higher Education: Admissions

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the data recently published by UCAS relating to acceptance rates for the 2012-13 academic year by region.

David Willetts: Final applicant and acceptance figures for the 2012/13 academic year have been published on the UCAS website at:
	http://www.ucas.com/about_us/stat_services/stats_online/data_tables/residence/ukregion
	but these do not include acceptance rates by region.
	The latest figures for the 2013/14 academic year showing applicants by region were published on 30 January and are available at:
	http://www.ucas.com/about_us/media_enquiries/media_releases/2013/jan13applicantfigures

Higher Education: Finance

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the Higher Education Funding Council for England will continue the core and margin student number control exercise in the 2014-15 academic year.

David Willetts: We expect to confirm the detailed arrangements for the operation of student number controls in the academic year 2014/15, in the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) 2014-15 grant letter. Places awarded through the 2012/13 and 2013/14 core and margin exercises will, in any case, still be in the system in 2014/15 allowing students to continue to benefit from high quality, value for money higher education.

Medicine: Research

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to page three of his Department's publication Strategy for UK Life Sciences, published in December 2011, how many investment and policy events to promote UK life sciences were held during (a) 2012 and (b) the London 2012 Olympics.

David Willetts: In the December 2011 “Strategy for UK Life Sciences”, the Government made a commitment to
	‘hold a series of investment and policy events to promote the UK's world-leading position in healthcare and life sciences in advance of the London 2012 Olympics’.
	Four healthcare and life sciences events were held during the Olympics and Paralympics. These events attracted some of the largest global corporate and institutional investors, senior representatives from the healthcare and life sciences sector, business leaders, clinicians, researchers and policy makers. The four events were:
	The Global Investment Conference (26 July 2012).
	The Global Health Policy Summit (1 August 2012) organised by The Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College.
	The Healthcare and Life Sciences Global Business Summit (2 August 2012).
	The Assistive Medical Technologies Global Business Summit (3 September 2012).
	These four events complemented UK Trade & Investment's presence promoting UK life sciences at other trade events overseas.

Medicine: Research

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding his Department plans to allocate to the Biomedical Catalyst Fund in each year to 2015.

David Willetts: Autumn statement 2011 provided £90 million new funding to the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), aligned with £90 million from the budget of the Medical Research Council (MRC) to deliver £180 million over three years for the Biomedical Catalyst.
	TSB has been allocated £30 million p.a. in 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15. The TSB's spend profile is currently under discussion, but we anticipate the majority of spend will fall in 2013/14 and 2014/15. The MRC's spend profile will be around £30 million for each of the three years.
	Funding commitments from the first round of the programme were announced in November 2012. £49 million of funding was committed to 64 projects, which will leverage at least £25 million of private sector funding. 40 projects will be led by small and medium-sized enterprises, and 24 by universities. Projects funded by the Catalyst will be completed over a number of years.

Medicine: Research

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department has spent on supporting the discovery, development and commercialisation of research in life sciences since December 2011.

David Willetts: BIS' budget for the discovery, development and commercialisation of research in life sciences is spent through its sponsored bodies. The figures provided as follows are for the most recent financial year (FY) (April 2011 to March 2012). Audited figures for expenditure for the current FY (April 2012 to March 2013) will be available from April 2013.
	The Technology Strategy Board has spent a total of £16.1 million on life sciences through its biosciences and healthcare portfolio activities. In total research councils have spent an estimated £1.6 billion on research related to life science. This is broken down by research council as follows:
	
		
			 Council Spend (£) 
			 Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council 542,500,000 
			 Economic and Social Research Council 6,425,000 
			 Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council 122,307,778 
			 Medical Research Council 759,400,000 
			 Natural Environment Research Council 133,000,000 
			 Science and Technology Facilities Council 20,342,932 
			 Total 1,583,812,778

Medicine: Research

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people have enrolled on higher level apprenticeships in relation to life sciences since December 2011; where such apprenticeships are located; and what assessment he has made of the likelihood that his Department will meet its target of 420 such apprenticeships by 2015.

Matthew Hancock: Cogent have developed the new life sciences higher apprenticeship framework, with investment from the Government's Higher Apprenticeships Fund, and the first apprentices enrolled on it in 2012. As participants on this apprenticeship so far have been funded by their employers, rather than by the Government, they are not currently recorded in the Government's official statistics.
	However, we understand that take up of the new framework has got off to a good start and the National Apprenticeship Service expects to meet the target of 428 starts by 2015.

Overseas Students: Syria

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the Government has any plans to offer assistance to Syrian students currently studying at UK universities who are having difficulty accessing funds due to the conflict in Syria similar to that offered to Libyan students.

David Willetts: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is doing everything it can to support Syrian students in the UK who are encountering difficulties due to the current situation in Syria.
	With regards to the situation in Libya, the UK Government, led by FCO, worked closely with the Libyan National Transitional Council to secure Libyan education funds that were already in the UK. This ensured that Libyan students were able to continue their education in the UK without disruption. No UK funds were used to support Libyan students.
	There is no scope in the existing student support legislation for the Government to provide funding support for Syrian students in the UK who are no longer receiving their funding from the Syrian Government. However, BIS is monitoring the situation and working closely with other Government Departments and its partner in the sector, the International Unit at Universities UK (UUK) and we have identified a number of existing mechanisms to support Syrian students as follows:
	The British Council has set up a hardship fund to provide financial assistance to Syrian students with Higher Education Capacity Building Project (HECBP) scholarships to enable them to continue their studies in the UK;
	Some UK universities have joined a consortium of higher education institutions, led by the Institute of International Education, to provide scholarships for Syrian students and serve as host campuses for professors and senior scholars. The International Unit at UUK is also a member of this consortium and has publicised it to UK HEIs;
	BIS also consulted HM Treasury (HMT) about the difficulty some Syrian students were facing in receiving payment from listed Syrian banks through the Syrian embassy for educational purposes. Prior to the embassy's closure, the Treasury issued licences authorising the receipt of student funding from Syria where those funds originated from or were paid through a Syrian entity subject to the asset freezing measures in Council Regulation (EU) 36/2012. Since the closure of the Syrian embassy, students are advised to apply to HMT for a licence allowing them to receive necessary funds from Syria directly to their personal accounts;
	In October last year the Home Office offered a temporary concession for Syrian nationals who are lawfully in the UK to enable them extend their stay in the UK for five months from 15 October 2012 to 15 March 2013;
	The Home Office have stated that
	"the concessions will be reviewed in March 2013 and we continue to closely monitor the situation in Syria in order to ensure our response balances the need to maintain immigration control with the needs of Syrians currently in the UK. Those who are in fear of return to Syria are of course entitled to apply for asylum".

Overseas Students: Syria

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if the Government will encourage all UK universities to enable Syrian students to complete their courses without suffering financial hardship caused by the conflict in Syria.

David Willetts: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is doing everything it can to support Syrian students in the UK who are encountering difficulties due to the Situation in Syria.
	BIS is working closely with other Government Departments and its partner in the sector, the International Unit at Universities UK (UUK), to monitor the situation and to identify ways to enable students from Syria to continue their studies in the UK.
	We recommend that universities and scholarship awarding bodies use their own discretion over fees, and, where possible, use their welfare and hardship funds to help support these students. In some cases universities have temporarily suspended fees or provided financial support to students. We would urge students to speak to their university.

Schools: Vocational Guidance

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to work with the Department for Education to ensure that schools provide the best advice to their students about further study options.

Matthew Hancock: As Minister for Skills I am responsible for policy on careers guidance in both the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	In April 2012 the Government published ‘National Careers Service: The Right Advice at the Right Time’ setting out the strategy for information, advice and guidance for young people and adults in England. This confirmed the introduction of a new legal duty on schools to secure access to careers guidance, which subsequently came into force in September. The Departments work together to deliver the strategy.

Travel and Subsistence Payments

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many senior officials in his Department's arm's-length bodies (a) have and (b) have had during 2012-13 terms of employment that specify that their main place of employment is their home address and that they are entitled to claim travel and subsistence expenses for visiting the offices of the arm's-length body.

Jo Swinson: The Department does not hold this information centrally and could obtain it only at disproportionate cost.
	I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service, Companies House, the National Measurement Office, the Intellectual Property Office, UK Space Agency, Ordnance Survey, Met Office, Land Registry and the Skills Funding Agency and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.

University Marine Biological Station Millport

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government and University College London on the future of the University Marine Biology Station, Millport.

David Willetts: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has had no discussions about the future of the University Marine Biology Station in Millport. As autonomous institutions, it is for higher education institutions to make the necessary decisions to ensure they are responsive to student choice and can continue to flourish, including how the funding they receive (including public funding via the Higher Education Funding Council for England and from students' loans) is used. The Further and Higher Education Act 1992 prohibits Ministers from involvement in funding decisions made by individual institutions.

CABINET OFFICE

Business: East Yorkshire

David Davis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of (a) small and (b) medium-sized businesses that were operating in (i) Haltemprice and Howden constituency and (ii) East Yorkshire in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated January 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many (a) small and (b) medium-sized businesses there were in (i) Haltemprice and Howden constituency (ii) East Yorkshire in each of the last five years.
	Annual statistics on the number of businesses –(enterprises) are available from the ONS release – UK Business: Activity, Size and Location at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/bus-register/uk-business/index.html
	Data on the number of enterprises broken down by parliamentary constituency within region and country by employment size band can be found in table B6.2 of the publication.
	The following table contains the count of small and medium sized businesses that were in the constituencies of Haltemprice and Howden and East Yorkshire from 2003 to 2012. Small businesses have been defined as those with an employment between 0 and 49 and medium-sized businesses as those with an employment between 50 and 249.
	
		
			  2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			  Small Medium Small Medium Small Medium Small Medium Small Medium 
			 Haltemprice and Howden constituency 3,240 30 3,215 25 3,160 25 3,095 25 3,190 35 
			 East Yorkshire constituency 4,160 45 4,110 45 4,005 45 3,915 45 3,990 50 
			 Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to protect confidentiality. 2. These numbers do not include very small businesses, typically those below the threshold for VAT and PAYE.

Business: Lancashire

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of (a) small and (b) medium-sized businesses that were operating in (i) Pendle and (ii) Lancashire in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated January 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many (a) small and (b) medium-sized businesses there were in (i) Pendle and (ii) Lancashire in each of the last five years.
	Annual statistics on the number of businesses (enterprises) are available from the ONS release – UK Business: Activity, Size and Location at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/bus-register/uk-business/index.html
	Data on the number of enterprises broken down by districts, counties and unitary authorities within region and country by employment size band can be found in table B1.2.
	The following table contains the count of small and medium sized businesses that were in Pendle and Lancashire county from 2008 to 2012. Small businesses have been defined as those with an employment between 0 and 49 and medium-sized businesses as those with an employment between 50 and 249.
	
		
			  2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			  Small Medium Small Medium Small Medium Small Medium Small Medium 
			 Pendle 2,565 45 2,505 40 2,430 45 2,375 45 2,405 45 
			 Lancashire County 39,765 650 39,340 615 37,770 615 36,800 605 36,865 630 
			 Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to protect confidentiality. 2. These numbers do not include very small businesses, typically those below the threshold for VAT and PAYE.

Charities: Fraud

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps his Department is taking to tackle the problem of bogus charity bag collectors.

Nick Hurd: We are considering Lord Hodgson's recommendations for the future regulation of legitimate public charitable collections following his review of the Charities Act 2006.
	However, illegitimate and bogus collections stand outside the law and are matters for the relevant enforcement agencies. The Cabinet Office continues to encourage and support collaborative work between the charity sector, commercial recyclers, licensing and enforcement agencies and government to combat this issue.

Companies

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office who drew up the list of 38 companies that are involved in the strategic relations initiative announced in July 2011; and who was involved with any decisions to extend this list.

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	UKTI recommended a list of companies which was approved by Ministers across Government.
	The Government considers the following set of criteria when considering which companies should be included in the strategic relationship management:
	(1) Current and potential investment in the UK;
	(2) Capacity or potential capacity to export from the UK; and
	(3) The potential for the approach to add value to our relationship.
	The autumn statement committed to a doubling of the strategic relations approach by April 2013.
	As an intermediate step the list of companies was expanded from 38 to 50 the list of companies is available at:
	http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/item/203560.html

Government Departments: Billing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will introduce electronic invoicing across Government to allow businesses to benefit from invoice discounting platforms.

Chloe Smith: The Government fully supports measures that simplify and streamline the procurement process, including the use of electronic invoicing.
	E-invoicing is a core part of the Government's shared services strategy, and some Departments are very advanced in implementing it.

Government Departments: Internet

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many unique users have visited the data.gov.uk website in each of the last 24 months for which figures are available.

Francis Maude: Data.gov.uk has had 1,562,213 unique visitors (2,037,624 visits) since 31 January 2011.
	Before the re-launch of the site on 28 June 2012, the average number of unique visitors per month was 49,000; since the re-launch of the site the average number of unique visitors has risen to 135,185.

ICT

Julian Huppert: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  which companies with headquarters in United States jurisdiction have been accepted as providers of G-Cloud computing services which could entail export of the personal data, as defined in the Data Protection Act 1998, of UK citizens outside the EU;
	(2)  which UK Government information systems make use of G Cloud providers; whether the privacy impact assessments of each considered the risks of surveillance for US foreign policy purposes under section 1881a of the US Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Amendment Act 2008 and the US Patriot Act 2001; and whether the unambiguous consent of UK citizens is sought before data is exported.

Nick Hurd: Details of all the companies that have been accepted as providers of G-Cloud services can be found on the CloudStore at:
	www.gov.uk/cloudstore
	The G-Cloud framework establishes a legal mechanism by which the public sector can set up individual contracts with suppliers should they be selected against a particular set of needs or requirements.
	A list of the public sector spend through the G-Cloud framework, which includes details of the public sector organisation and supplier, can be found at:
	http://gcloud.civilservice.gov.uk/about/sales-information/
	As detailed in the Cabinet Office offshoring guidance published in July 2011, it is the responsibility of individual Departments Chief Information Officers, Senior Information Risk Owners, Senior Responsible Owners and procurers to consider supplier proposals which include offshore provision options. In considering the storage or access of personal data overseas, there are a number of specific requirements, principally the completion of a privacy impact assessment and adherence to the measures set out in the Data Handling Review (June 2008) and the HMG Information Assurance Standard No. 6.

Minimum Wage

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of people in (a) Liverpool Walton constituency, (b) Liverpool and (c) England and Wales who earn (i) the minimum wage and (ii) less than the minimum wage.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated January 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question.
	Estimates for the number of people paid at the national minimum wage are not available from the Office for National Statistics. Estimates for the number of jobs paid below the national minimum wage are available, but not below Regional level. These are from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE).
	The following table shows the number of jobs earning less than the national minimum wage for (a) the North West and (b) England and Wales in April 2012. April 2012 is the latest period for which figures are available.
	A guide to measuring low pay and associated articles can be found on the National Statistics website at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/method-quality/specific/labour-market/annual-survey-of-hours-and-earnings/low-pay-estimates/index.html
	
		
			 Estimates of jobs paid below the national minimum wage for (a) the North West and (b) England and Wales in April 2012 
			  2012 
			  Thousand Percentage of employee jobs 
			 North West (including Merseyside) *31 *1.1 
			 England and Wales 248 1.1 
			 Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220 Key: CV ≤ 5% * CV >5% and =10% ** CV >10% and =20% CV = Coefficient of Variation Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics

Pay

David Davis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average annual salary was for (a) men and (b) women in full-time employment in (i) Haltemprice and Howden constituency, (ii) East Yorkshire, (iii) Yorkshire and the Humber and (iv) England in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated January 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question.
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Annual levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, who have been in the same job for more than a year.
	The following table shows the median gross annual earnings for all male and all female employees in (i) Haltemprice and Howden constituency, (ii) East Yorkshire constituency, (iii) Yorkshire and the Humber and (iv) England, for each year from 2008 to 2012.
	
		
			 Median gross annual earnings (£)—for full-time male and full-time female employee jobs(1) in (i) Haltemprice and Howden constituency, (ii) East Yorkshire constituency, (iii) Yorkshire and the Humber and (iv) England, from 2008 to 2012 
			  Haltemprice and Howden constituency East Yorkshire constituency Yorkshire and the Humber England 
			  Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female 
			 2008 **29,654 **23,906 **21,382 **17,368 25,597 19,433 28,023 21,792 
			 2009 **27,744 **23,087 **24,852 **16,090 26,006 20,224 28,657 22,402 
			 2010 *29,016 **24,624 **26,582 **17,122 26,149 20,729 28,552 22,780 
			 2011(2) *28,557 **23,210 **24,610 **18,993 26,316 20,868 28,833 23,069 
			 2011(3) *29,420 **23,840 **23,927 **18,756 26,179 20,679 28,817 22,831 
			 2012 **27,405 **23,440 **24,425 **17,620 26,721 20,971 29,102 23,321 
			 (1) Employees on adult rates who have been in the same job for more than one year. (2) 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2000. (3 )2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2010. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key: CV ≤ 5% * CV >5% and =10% ** CV >10% and =20% CV = Coefficient of Variation Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics.

Procurement

John Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many research contracts commissioned by his Department were not subject to a tendering process in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Chloe Smith: The default is that Cabinet Office contracts are competitively tendered. If a contract is to be awarded without competition, prior approval must be sought from either the finance director or deputy finance director (where the value of the contract exceeds £5,000). Since January 2011, details of all contracts with a value of £10,000 or more are published on Contracts Finder at:
	https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder

Public Expenditure

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to ensure that spend data by Government Departments is published promptly in accordance with the timelines published by his Department.

Francis Maude: Data.gov.uk has a tool that tracks departmental spend data publication, showing conformance and gaps in publication:
	http://data.gov.uk/data/openspending-report/index

Voluntary Work

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to promote the (a) physical and (b) psychological benefits of volunteering; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the (a) minimal and (b) optimal number of hours spent volunteering before (i) physical and (ii) psychological benefits accrue to the volunteer.

Nick Hurd: We recognise that volunteering offers people a range of physical and psychological benefits. Following the introduction of a framework to measure well-being in 2011, the Cabinet Office is exploring the link between volunteering and well-being. The evaluation of the 2012 National Citizen Service pilot seeks to measure the well-being of those taking part in NCS.